Concern as farmers ignore illness

12 October 2001



Concern as farmers ignore illness

By Isabel Davies

HEALTH experts are concerned about farmers reluctance to visit a doctor, given the incidence of ill-health in the industry.

The Health and Safety Authority says farmers must take ill-health more seriously.

It estimates that twice the number of days are lost per worker in farming than in other industries.

Respiratory disease, linked with grain and animal handling, is thought to be at least twice as high among farm workers than for the general population.

It is also estimated that 80% of workers will have a joint or spinal injury or alternatively arthritis at some point through their working life.

Doctors, safety experts and mental-health workers gathered to discuss the issue at a conference in Warwickshire on Thursday (11 October).

Dr Jenny Deaville, from the Institute of Rural Health, said rural patients tended to delay consultation with a doctor until things were serious.

Studies backed up anecdotal evidence that farmers were stoical and self-reliant when it came to health issues.

A study in north-west Wales has claimed farmers had good coping abilities and a rather mechanistic view of their body and healing.

As a result they tended to have a “men dont cry attitude”, and would only present themselves to their doctor as a last resort.

Farmers often consult doctors “less and later” than other people because they live in remote areas and surgery times are inflexible, said Dr Deaville.

Farmers were also easily put off if they felt that the practitioner had little understanding of their farming lifestyle, she added.

“We have to tackle personal and cultural barriers when it comes to promoting health care services,” she warned.

Caroline Davies, of the Rural Stress Information Network, said stress was an occupational health issue just as important as some physical concerns.

Farmers wives should be targeted to get the message across, she suggested. “Women are very important as a route to getting information out.”

• Try harder to save lives, farmers urged, FWi, 11 October, 2001
• Farm accident deaths up 20%, FWi, 20 July, 2001