Journal of Agromedicine最新文献

Introduction: Pesticides are recognized endocrine disruptors that may influence breast cancer risk and progression, yet their impact on disease characteristics according to menopausal status remains unclear, particularly in rural populations with high exposure levels. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pesticide exposure on the clinicopathological profile of breast cancer among rural women, with a focus on differences between premenopausal and menopausal patients.

Methods: A cohort of 189 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at a cancer hospital in southwestern Paraná State, Brazil, was retrospectively analyzed. Pesticide exposure was determined through a validated questionnaire, classifying women as exposed or unexposed. Menopausal status was recorded from medical charts and categorized as premenopausal or menopausal. Clinicopathological features were compared across groups.

Results: Pesticide-exposed premenopausal patients presented more cases of low histological grade tumors than unexposed women did (46.28% vs 23.14%, respectively, p = .0081). Additionally, more exposed patients had angiolymphatic emboli (15.22% to unexposed and 47.83% to exposed, p = .0170). Patients exposed at menopause had more tumors without estrogen receptor expression (13.16% unexposed and 28.95% exposed, p = .022) and a lower ki67 index (23.08%) than unexposed patients (6.15%, p = .0055), with a prevalence of tumors larger than 2 cm (11.82% unexposed and 21.82% exposed, p = .0481). A multivariable regression analysis was performed and showed both age (β = 0.03698, 95% CI: -1.013 to 1.108) and BMI (β = 0.1293, 95% CI: -0.5552 to 0.8120) had no significant effects. Conclusion: These findings suggest that chronic pesticide exposure during critical windows of breast development may alter disease presentation according to menopausal status. Given the high pesticide burden in a rural cohort, it is important to consider environmental exposures in breast cancer prognosis, especially among vulnerable populations.

Purpose: Farmers and rural residents face serious mental health risks due to occupational hazards, stress, and limited access to mental health services. In response, researchers launched and evaluated the BARN (Bringing Awareness Right Now) Farmer Dinner Theater, an innovative program aimed at addressing mental health challenges and preventing suicide in rural counties of Kentucky. BARN combines community engagement, performance arts, and evidence-based strategies to not only raise awareness but to take action to promote positive behavioral intentions regarding mental health issues and suicide prevention.

Methods: BARN featured a two-day youth camp focused on education and skills related to mental health and well-being, stress management, and suicide prevention. Youth camp participants created culturally relevant dinner theater scripts that included mental health themes, culminating in a performance of their work. To evaluate the program's impact, we used a quasi-experimental design with a retrospective pre-post survey. At the end of the camp and dinner theater, participants completed a survey asking them to rate their knowledge and behaviors as they remembered them before and after the program.

Results: Fifteen youth participated in the camp, and 106 community members attended the dinner theater. Improvements among participants were observed across several survey items, including understanding mental health challenges, recognizing stress, and adopting self-care and coping strategies. Dinner theater participants consequently reported an increased intent to practice self-care and engage in suicide prevention behaviors. Feedback from the dinner theater underscored the importance of addressing mental health and suicide collaboratively while emphasizing the need for open dialogue and support in the community.

Conclusion: The BARN Farmer Dinner Theater program was designed to address mental health challenges and suicide prevention in rural communities by fostering participatory and culturally sensitive discussions. The program approach empowered participants to see mental health as a community responsibility, reducing stigma. The program's design aligns with findings highlighting the importance of interactive, culturally tailored interventions in rural settings. The study supports expanding the BARN program with trusted organizations like Cooperative Extension Services as facilitators. Future research should evaluate long-term outcomes, including behavioral change and community resilience, to improve the program's impact and sustainability.

Objectives: Cattle feedyard workers are at high risk of heat stress and illness due to being outdoors for long hours in high heat and humidity. Wearable technology has the potential to provide a warning system so that at-risk workers can take a break, move into a shaded area, and hydrate before heat illness results in lost work time.

Methods: The MākuSafe wearable device was used to monitor heat warnings in 15 cattle feedyard workers. We collected environmental temperatures and heat warnings from wearable devices at a single feedyard from June 1 through September 30, 2023. We assessed the number of heat warnings and the maximum temperature where they were most likely to occur using segmented logistic regression to model the nonlinear relationship between temperature and heat warning and to understand the threshold at which heat warnings occurred. The Pseudo Score Test was used to assess for a changepoint in the logistic regression model with temperature predicting a heat warning for the number of days the wearable device was used in 15 workers.

Results: The Pseudo Score Test identified a single statistically significant changepoint (p < .0001). The Davies test confirmed the result and estimated the change at 78°F. The covariates worker role or hours worked that day were not significantly associated with the probability of a heat warning.

Conclusion: These findings revealed that the probability of a heath warning occurring at a relatively low temperature of 78°F, which can aid workplace management with heat stress management and preparedness to protect worker health.

Objectives: Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States, especially for children. Despite considerable efforts to develop and implement interventions that protect children, the burden of agricultural injury and disease remains a stubborn and multifaceted public health concern. This study examined the effects of repeated exposure to agricultural injury news on farm parents' risk perception and behavioral intentions for farm safety practices. The study also examined the roles of existing self- and response-efficacy in the effect of agricultural injury news consumption on behavioral intention.

Methods: In 2021 and 2022, the study team conducted a field experiment where farm parents were randomly assigned to an intervention group (reading weekly child agricultural injury news articles for 4 weeks) and a control group (reading weekly non-injury "farm life" articles for 4 weeks). Participants completed online pre- and post-test surveys before and after intervention. The PROCESS model was employed to test research hypotheses, and 162 participants were included in the analyses.

Results: The results showed that repeated exposure to agricultural injury news increased farm parents' perceived severity of agricultural incidents; in turn, perceived severity enhanced their behavioral intention to adopt agricultural safety practices. The partial moderated mediation analysis shows that the indirect effect of perceived severity between repeated news exposure and behavioral intention to adopt farm safety practices were not dependent on farm parents' levels of self- and response-efficacy.

Conclusion: These results imply that agricultural injury news consumption could be a viable intervention to reduce U.S. childhood agricultural injury and fatality. Findings may also lead to additional lines of research, including similar testing with different groups of agricultural stakeholders, expansion to adults, and safety intervention research for other industries.

Introduction: Identifying and utilizing valid and reliable farm safety leading indicators will help to ensure farmers' well-being, safety and personal health, as well as the sustainability and the productivity of agricultural operations. This paper aimed to summarise the literature on valid and reliable safety indicators, focused on leading (preventive) metrics, for farmers' health and safety.

Methods: All studies on the agricultural population with objective and measurable leading indicators for farmers' health and safety were included. Systematic reviews and original quantitative research studies were included. Five databases were searched: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Informit and Google Scholar. Two independent reviewers then conducted the full-text screening in Covidence. An analysis was performed to identify and summarise agricultural safety indicators.

Results: Four studies were included in the review with a total of 71 leading indicators focused on dairy (n = 2), poultry (n = 1) and aquaculture (n = 1). Two studies reported the same set of indicators. Two studies reported content and face validity but no further assessments of validity. None of the studies reported reliability assessments. Two studies found evidence of association between injury and illness and the lead indicators reported.

Discussion: Further studies focusing on leading indicators for agriculture are required and need to have robust reporting on their validity and reliability to guarantee research quality and efficacy. It is recommended to have a set of leading indicators for agriculture, noting that there should be a manageable number. This study provides valuable insights and serves as a foundation for future research and guidance.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to pesticide use among women, and to study the association between these variables, education and work experience in large horticultural farms in rural areas of northern Tanzania.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 171 women farmers, using a validated KAP model questionnaire, including socio-demographic information and farm practices.

Results: Pesticide knowledge among 133 (77.8%) women farmers was poor. Of the participants, 68% showed concern about pesticide use and adverse effects on human health, and 49.7% reported poor to moderate practices. Farmers with higher education had better knowledge and practice scores. There was a positive partial correlation between knowledge scores and years of work experience (r = 0.202, p = .023) and a positive partial correlation between practice and attitude scores (r = 0.213, p = .005), when controlling for age.

Conclusion: While knowledge levels about pesticides were low among women farm workers, attitudes and practices related to pesticide use were higher. More studies are needed to determine the level of training needed among these workers. This information can aid employers and local government officials in work for reducing pesticide intoxication among women working in horticultural farms, through education, motivation, and support.

Introduction: The present research aims to better understand the meal preparation strategies and food security of unaccompanied Latino migrant farmworker (LMFW) youth in Georgia and Florida. This unfolded in two studies.

Methods: In Study 1, we explored the day-to-day meal preparation experiences and strategies of N = 20 migrant youths aged 15-20 years (50% from Mexico under the H-2A agricultural visa program working in Georgia; 50% from Guatemala, undocumented minors working in Florida). In Study 2, using a different sample, we examined the levels of food security among N = 36 unaccompanied LMFW youths aged 15-20 years and working in Florida.

Results: In Study 1, thematic analysis highlighted three shared themes among LMFW youth related to meal preparation strategies: (1) "I do it myself", (2) "We try to help each other", and (3) "Sometimes I don't even have time to eat." In Study 2, findings showed that 81% (29) of LMFW youths cooked alone while 19% (7) cooked in groups. Most (72%) lacked food security. Out of the 29 LMFW youths who cooked alone, 83% lacked food security compared to 29% of the 7 LMFW youths who cooked in groups. Additionally, among LMFW youths who cooked alone, those who were minors lacked food security (86%) more commonly than those who were non-minors (80%).

Conclusion: Together, these studies provide insight into meal preparation strategies, and food security status among unaccompanied LMFW youth, specifically that solitude in meal preparation is associated with a lack of food security among these youth in U.S. agriculture.