Pediatric Exposure to Agricultrual Machinery:

The agricultural population has been underserved and difficult to reach in terms of injury control interventions, particularly regarding children at the farm worksite. Risk factors for pediatric agricultural injuries have been hypothesized but not well documented. In order to plan appropriate interventions, it is necessary to characterize possible risk factors. To address this need, a survey of a random sample of 208 Iowa farm families with 470 children under age 19 conducted. It was found that 91% of boys and 44% of girls ages 15-18, 59% of boys and 16% of girls ages 10-14, 21% of boys and 3% of girls ages 5-9, and 3% of four-year-old boys operate tractors, with 67% of boys and 16% of girls in the oldest group doing so unsupervised. Thirty-nine percent of children under five rode with an adult on tractors without cabs and 76% in cab tractors; 37% were allowed on cab tractors only. Preschool children who mothers work full-time off-farm were least involved in machinery-related activities. Nineteen percent of mothers employed full-time off-farm work, compared to 63% of mothers employed part-time off-farm and 57% of mothers not employed off-farm. These data indicate a need for primary prevention measures including guidance in age-appropriate tasks; innovative engineering controls for tractors and acceptable child care options for farm families.