The association between farming activities and respiratory health in rural school age children

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dosman J ; Farthing P ; Janzen B ; Pahwa P ; Rennie D
• Description:
  This study assessed the prevalence of asthma in Canadian children living on and off farms and the risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms of children exposed to certain farming activities. A cross-sectional survey was sent to parents of school children ages 6 to 13 living in an agricultural community in rural Saskatchewan. History of asthma and respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, or wheeze), location of home, and exposure to farming activities including haying, harvesting, moving, or playing with hay bales, feeding livestock, cleaning or playing in barns, cleaning pens, and emptying or filling grain bins were assessed. The response rate was 90.6% (n = 553). The prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms were 18.8% and 39.8%, respectively, and did not differ by home location (farm/nonfarm). In the adjusted multivariable models conducted with each farming activity separately, children who were exposed to emptying and filling of grain bins had a higher odds of asthma (odds [OR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-4.62]. Reports of playing on or near hay bales (OR = 1.89, 95% CI:1.19-3.01), (OR = 2.08, 95% CI:1.07-4.06), and cleaning pens (OR = 2.70, 95% CI:1.05-6.97) were associated with increased respiratory symptoms. Certain farming activities associated with dust and animals appear to be risk factors for asthma and respiratory symptoms in this study population and should be avoided. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Agriculture Dust Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Family Farmers Hazardous Substances Hypersensitivity Insecticides Irritants Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Public Health Respiratory Hypersensitivity Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Agricultural-industry Agricultural-processes Allergic-reactions Allergies Author Keywords: Asthma Children Cough Environmental-hazards Families Farming Activities Health-hazards Inhalation-studies Lung-disorders Lung-irritants Pesticides-and-agricultural-chemicals Phlegm Public-health Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Quantitative-analysis Respirable-dust Respiratory-hypersensitivity Respiratory-infections Respiratory-irritants Risk-analysis Risk-factors Statistical-analysis

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• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  256-262
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038737
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2009 Apr; 14(2):256-262
• Contact Point Address:
  Pamela Farthing, MSc, Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS), Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (Kelsey Campus), 1130 Idylwyld Drive, P.O. Box 1520, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7K 3R5
• Email:
  pamela.farthing@siast.sk.ca
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Marshfield Clinic
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20090831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2c3175b5e1534705220db3f3c962b265746a2fcacfe88f1ede805e80cb19d2b511d4c9820bb8806fcf591bea1954720089213cdac60474a16cd7c63f36fd0bf7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/192345/cdc_192345_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 204.05 KB ]