Agriculture‐related Residual Injuries: Prevalence, Type, and Associated Factors Among Alabama Farm Operators—1990

A population‐based, cross‐sectional study was conducted to investigate the lifetime agricultural injuries causing traumatic disabilities (referred to as residual injuries) in a simple random sample of 1,000 farm operators in Alabama in 1990. Data were collected by mail questionnaire followed by telephone interviews. The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics, and potential related factors of the defined injuries. The overall response rate was 86.2 percent. The prevalence of the residual injuries was 9.3 percent (95%, CI=7.2–11.4) in 1990. Agricultural injuries frequently resulted in traumatic disabilities, including amputation (23.9%), fracture (19.4%), and sprain/strain (11.9%). Fingers were the body part most frequently disabled due to injuries (28.4%) followed by the back (9.0%), and legs (7.5%). The leading external causes were machinery (44.8%), animals (19.4%), and falls (10.5%). Twenty‐eight percent of the injured attributed “carelessness” as the main cause of their injuries. Other main causes included hurry (9.0%), long work hours (9.0%), disturbed animals (6.0%), and equipment design problems (6.0%), according to the injured. The most frequent consequences were amputation (19.4%) followed by functional impairment of limbs and persistent pain. Residual injuries happened most often in animal facilities. Farm operators engaged in forestry, poultry, and dairy had higher prevalence rates. Other factors associated with higher prevalence of residual injuries included larger farm size, higher farm annual production, and more time spent on farming. Those with residual injuries were at much higher risk of being injured again (POR=3.4, P<0.01). The results provide some indications for developing injury control and health planning programs in rural areas and for future research.