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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Occupational health and safety

A Cross-Sectional Study of Alcohol, Opioid Use, and Anxiety in Agriculturally Based Occupations
Surveyed 1,791 rural Midwestern agricultural workers to determine opioid and alcohol use, anxiety, and risk factors for alcohol use. Discusses the impact of age, marital status, gender, and other demographic factors on the findings.
Author(s): Christine Chasek, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Rachel Rutt, Ashley Olson, Aaron Yoder
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 816-823
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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The Fifth National Climate Assessment
Report outlining the impacts of climate change in the U.S., discussing impacts to both the physical earth as well as society, economics, and health sectors. Offers a look at both national topics of interest as well as the current and future risks at a regional level. Chapter 11 addresses agriculture, food systems, and rural concerns. Chapter 16 addresses Indigenous Peoples.
Date: 2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Global Change Research Program
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Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity: Lessons Learned in Addressing Inequities in Heat-Related Climate Change Impacts: Proceedings of a Workshop-in Brief
Summary of a National Academies' Environmental Health Matters Initiative workshop in June 2023 discussing health equity for heat-related climate change. Highlights challenges with data gathering, recent policy changes, capacity building, and partnerships. Includes discussion of rural specific challenges, occupational health for farmworkers and other outdoor workers, and healthcare access.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Regional Surveillance of Medically-Attended Farm-related Injuries in Children and Adolescents
Analyzed a Wisconsin health clinic's medical records for children with farm-related injuries between 2017 and 2021 to determine the impact of farm residency on rate of injury. Includes analysis of area of bodily injury, time of year, and cause of injury.
Author(s): Jeffrey J. VanWormer, Richard L. Berg, Richard R. Burke, Kathrine L. Barnes, Bryan P. Weichelt
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1031618
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Occupational Safety and Health with Technological Developments in Livestock Farms: A Literature Review
Literature review of technology in agricultural work intended to reduce occupational safety risks on livestock farms. Includes articles published between 2015 and 2020 in English about technology being used in the United States. 80 articles were examined and gaps in the literature are discussed. Describes types of technology used, type of occupational exposure, and general occupational health and well-being.
Author(s): Marie A. Hayden, Menekse S. Barim, Darlene L. Weaver, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16440
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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State Strategies to Support the Future of the Primary Care Physician and Nursing Workforce
Discusses primary care physician and nursing workforce challenges, including the shortage of these providers in rural and underserved areas. Describes policies and strategies implemented by states to address these challenges. Offers resources for states, health systems, and academic institutions exploring innovative strategies to address healthcare workforce challenges.
Author(s): Elaine Chhean, Anita Cardwell, Lauren Block, Sarah Tocher
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Agricultural Youth Injuries: An Updated Review of Cases from U.S. News Media Reports, 2016–2021
Analyzed 2016-2021 records in an agricultural injury news report database to determine the annual trend and characteristics of youth injuries in agricultural environments. Breaks down data by mortality, age, gender, and injury types.
Author(s): Bryan P. Weichelt, Serap Gorucu, Rick R. Burke, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1045858
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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Childcare for Farm Families: A Key Strategy to Keep Children Safe yet Largely Absent from Farm Programming
Analyzed programming and resources through an environmental scan and key informant interviews in Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin to assess how the farm industry addresses childcare and farm safety for farm families. Discusses the culture of families in farming and offers recommendations for future research.
Author(s): Florence Becot, Shoshanah Inwood, Andrea Rissing
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1043774
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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National Rural Health Day 2022: Dr. Roxie Wells Talks Hospital Resilience in the Face of Change
Conversation with Dr. Roxie Wells, president of Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital, on rural hospital resiliency. Describes the most pressing needs of the Hoke County, North Carolina, community; Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital's primary areas of action to address those needs; and the most significant threats the hospital faces to improve community health. Discusses how AHA has helped the hospital successfully confront these challenges.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California
Analyzes access and barriers to healthcare services for Eastern Coachella Valley rural farmworkers who are exposed to workplace and environmental health risks. Reports on 9 culturally responsive in-home interviews conducted from 2017 to 2018 with the assistance of a bilingual Spanish-Purépecha Latina promotora. Provides demographic information of participants and quotes from interviews related to themes such as environmental exposures, including the nearby Salton Sea; agricultural labor and its impact on health; chronic health conditions and trauma of exposures; and community-proposed solutions.
Author(s): Ann Marie Cheney, Tatiana Barrera, Katheryn Rodriguez, Ana María Jaramillo López
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12940
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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