Framing Agricultural Injuries: An Analytical and Anthropologic Review of Media Coverage in a Multi-State Region

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• Personal Author:
  Uffelmann, Avery ; Beseler, Cheryl L. ; Duysen, Ellen G.
• Description:
  Objective: Agricultural injuries are frequently underreported and understudied, despite their significant impact on the individuals and communities affected. Local news media often serve as one of the few public-facing sources of information about such incidents, typically reporting on who was involved, what occurred, where and when the event happened, and occasionally, why it took place. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the demographic characteristics and narrative themes found in media reports of agricultural injuries across seven Midwestern states. Using anthropological approaches and perspectives, the research explored how media portrayals of these incidents may shape public perceptions of agricultural risk and influence safety-related behaviors within rural communities. Methods: A database was developed using media reports of agricultural injuries collected by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) and Ag Injury News. The dataset included 154 news articles published between 2017 and 2024, documenting 200 agricultural injuries. Demographic and narrative content were analyzed to address the following research questions: (1) What types of messaging are emphasized in media headlines? (2) What forms of support for victims are mentioned in the articles? and (3) How is injury prevention addressed within the narratives? Results: Analysis revealed a high incidence of roadway-related injuries and identified injury trends disproportionately affecting older and male agricultural workers. Nearly one-third of the articles analyzed referred to incidents as "accidents," suggesting a potentially passive framing of preventable events. Prevention was mentioned in only 31.2% of articles; 24.7% referenced risky behaviors, while just 3.9% explicitly described prevention techniques. The data also offer insight into rural support systems, with references to financial or labor support, emotional support, and faith-based support. Furthermore, 63% of headlines conveyed no clear sentiment, and none of the reports included injuries involving immigrant workers. Conclusion: These findings support recommendations for journalists to enhance both the quality and frequency of prevention messaging and to avoid using the term "accident" when describing preventable incidents. Additionally, health and safety professionals can use these insights, particularly the influence of community, faith, and economics to inform the development of culturally appropriate prevention strategies and interventions. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Occupational Health
  • Occupational Injuries
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Agricultural workers; Agriculture; Injuries; Injury prevention; Agricultural safety; Information dissemination; Safety research; Behavior; Communication research;
  • Author Keywords: Agricultural injury; anthropology; cultural competence; injury prevention; news media
• Source:
  J Agromedicine 2026 May; :Epub ahead of print
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region OSHA ; Chicago Region OSHA ; Denver Region OSHA ; Georgia ; Iowa ; Kansas ; Kansas City Region OSHA ; Minnesota ; Missouri ; Nebraska ; North Dakota ; South Dakota
  More +
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071705
• Contact Point Address:
  Ellen Duysen, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984388 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4388, USA
• Email:
  ellen.duysen@unmc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Nebraska Medical Center - Omaha
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110901
• End Date:
  20270831
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259476/cdc_259476_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 778.54 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:99ca4bf4517e966a5b690eacd42a40d54f2703f240df107c563466dd8b7a7a8a60da836478ca53db5067dadb79337aa3dac85d10b869ad25f1b62fe7965cd3be