RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Traumatic and musculoskeletal injury rates have been high in dairy farming compared to other industries. Previous work has shown that social marketing efforts can persuade farm managers to adopt practices that reduce injury hazards compared to traditional practices if the new practices maintain profits. METHODS: The intervention disseminated information to 4,300 Northeast Wisconsin dairy farm managers about three safer and more profitable production practices (barn lights, silage bags, and calf feed mixing sites) using information channels that these managers were known to rely on. We evaluated rolling, independent, community-based samples, at baseline and then again after each of four intervention years. We also evaluated samples from Maryland's 1,200 dairy farms after the second through the fourth year of the intervention. Maryland dairy managers read many of the same nationally distributed print mass media that we used in the intervention and so were a "partially exposed" comparison group. RESULTS: The intervention to disseminate information about the innovations was successful. In comparisons before and after the intervention, Wisconsin managers reported getting more information about calf sites from public events and equipment dealers, about silage bags from other farmers and equipment dealers, and about barn lights from public events, other farmers, equipment dealers, consultants, and electrical suppliers. Wisconsin managers also reported getting more information than Maryland managers from public events for barn lights and silage bags. During years three and four, the intervention managed to sustain, but not improve, earlier increases in adoption and awareness from the first 2 years. After adjusting for farm manager and operation variables, intervention years was associated with increased Wisconsin manager adoption of two of three practices in comparisons between the baseline and the fourth intervention year: barn lights (odds ratio = 5.58, 95% confidence interval = 3.39-9.17) and silage bags (OR = 2.94, CI = 1.84-4.70). There were similar results for awareness of barn lights and the calf feeding sites. Compared to Maryland managers, Wisconsin managers reported greater awareness of barn lights. CONCLUSIONS: Disseminating information to managers through information channels that they usually consulted was associated with increased reports of getting information and with greater adoption and awareness of safer, profit-enhancing work practices in a high hazard industry.
Asunto(s)
Agricultura/estadística & datos numéricos , Promoción de la Salud/métodos , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/prevención & control , Exposición Profesional/efectos adversos , Salud Laboral/estadística & datos numéricos , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Animales , Bovinos , Intervalos de Confianza , Productos Lácteos/estadística & datos numéricos , Educación en Salud , Humanos , Difusión de la Información , Maryland/epidemiología , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/epidemiología , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/etiología , Oportunidad Relativa , Desarrollo de Programa , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Factores de Tiempo , Wisconsin/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: We conducted an intervention to increase adoption of three dairy farming practices shown to reduce certain traumatic and musculoskeletal injury hazards. METHODS: The intervention disseminated information to 4,300 Wisconsin dairy farm managers about three safer, more profitable production practices (barn lights, bag silos, and calf feed mixing sites) using information channels upon which these managers were known to rely. We evaluated rolling, independent, community-based samples at baseline and after each of two intervention years. We also evaluated a single sample after the intervention's second year from 1,200 Maryland dairy farm managers who were exposed only to the intervention's nationally distributed print publications, as a "partially exposed" comparison group. RESULTS: In before/after comparisons, Wisconsin managers reported getting more information from print media, public events, and resource people for barn lights and bag silos. Also, Wisconsin managers, in comparison with Maryland managers after the intervention's second year, reported getting more barn lights and bag silo information from public events and resource people, but not from print media. Analyses that adjusted for farm manager, farm operation, and herd variables associated the intervention with increased Wisconsin manager adoption of all three practices after the second intervention year: barn lights (odds ratio [OR] = 2.268, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.476, 3.485), bag silos (OR = 3.561, 95% CI 2.684, 4.728), and calf feeding sites (OR = 2.433, 95% CI 1.059, 5.591). There were also increases in awareness of barn lights and calf feeding sites. CONCLUSION: Disseminating information to managers through well-known information channels was associated with increased reports of information gathering, adoption, and awareness of safer, profit-enhancing work practices in a high-hazard industry.
Asunto(s)
Accidentes de Trabajo/prevención & control , Industria Lechera/métodos , Promoción de la Salud/métodos , Administración de la Seguridad/métodos , Animales , Bovinos , Industria Lechera/economía , Industria Lechera/normas , Femenino , Humanos , Difusión de la Información/métodos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Administración de la Seguridad/economíaRESUMEN
PROBLEM: Fresh market berry production workers are exposed to physical risk factors for musculoskeletal injury. METHOD: We disseminated information through trade publications and other sources to berry managers in seven U.S. states about five prevention through design practices that were both safer and more profitable than traditional methods. We administered mail evaluation questionnaires prior to the intervention and after each of four intervention years to rolling, independent U.S. samples and to comparison New Zealand berry farm manager samples after years one through three. RESULTS: U.S. manager self-reports of reading trade publication information increased compared to baseline values for two of five practices and self-reported awareness increased for four of five practices. There were no increases in adoption. More U.S. than New Zealand managers reported getting information about two practices from trade publications and about four practices from public events. No U.S. versus New Zealand differences were observed in reported awareness or adoption for any practice. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study showed that even a modest campaign can build awareness of safer practices fairly quickly in three to four years among small agricultural firms but that increasing adoption apparently requires more time. Widespread adoption of safer practices could help keep operators in business longer as they age by reducing the workload and musculoskeletal strain associated with labor intensive crop production for them and their workforce. Adoption of practices that also improve profits, like the five practices featured in this study, could also help managers stay in business.