By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Recently, medical experts took a closer look at health issues that affect those who work in agricultural occupations.
The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, along with the University of Iowa, Illinois Great Lakes Center for Occupational Safety and Health, the University of Missouri and the AgriSafe Network, put together a weeklong continuing education class titled “Agricultural Occupational Health Training.”

The bottom line was for doctors and nurses who treat those in ag to “present the components of a comprehensive agricultural health service.” They learned about ag production and the history and description of agricultural health, as well as taking a session on migrant workers.

They also learned about ag-related injuries and how they occur, with a breakdown of the ergonomics of ag equipment. Attendees visited the Elkhart Grain Co., Herrin Fertilizer, Cross Brothers Motor Implement, Inc. and the Thomas and Cheryl S. Martin farm.
Dr. Stacy Sattovia, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at SIU School of Medicine, ran a session about “Prevention of Illness in Agricultural Population.” She explained the factors of death in the ag community don’t differ dramatically from those outside agriculture.

For males, however, until the age of 44 unintentional injuries are the primary cause of occupational death, later followed by heart disease and cancer. This shows how important using safety precautions can be. The industries with the highest incidences of unintentional injury for males under 44 were farming, mining and construction.

While unintentional injuries were the primary cause of death for males under 44, for females under the age of 34 the primary cause of death in occupational settings is homicide, mostly from domestic violence.

According to an Iowa study, farmers have better oral health than the general population and are less likely to smoke; however, farmers are also less likely to have checkups. About a Wisconsin study, Sattovia said, “Farm women surveyed that played an active role in the farm were less likely to have pap smears, check for high blood pressure and they had a higher obesity rate and suffered from more hypertension.”

Two items she thinks would decrease death risk in ag workers is to reduce obesity and tobacco use. Although dollars have been committed to reduce tobacco use, she said this education needs to continue because tobacco is related to so many illnesses and early deaths.

“Tobacco is a preventable cause of death. Those that use it die 15 to 20 years before their counterparts. To reduce the risk for farmers, quitting smoking is a great way to reduce rates,” she said, adding with only 10 percent of smokers beginning after the age of 18, early education is crucial.

Obesigenic is a term that Sattovia described as “putting ourselves in an environment that encourages obesity.” The numbers showing the increase in obesity over the past few decades were startling.
“Since 1995 more than 20 percent were considered to be obese (with a Body Mass Index greater than 30) and in 2001 that number rose to 25 percent. It is greater than 30 percent in some states,” she added.

Part of the problem is the complacency with which this subject is considered. “If this was brain cancer, how would we be reacting?” she asked.

Obesity is not just a result of Americans’ food intake – it is also a result of what they are eating, with so many processed foods and high fructose corn syrup choices.

“But,” Sattovia cautioned, “it is mostly math, a caloric balance. Calories in minus calories burned equals calories stored.

“We need to increase activity,” she said, as a way to help control obesity in all populations and reduce the amount of calories stored. These unneeded calories can prompt the onset of Type II diabetes and this, she added, is a special concern in children.

“Both obesity and tobacco have in common that both issues involve heavily marketed products,” she pointed out. “It takes seven times to try to quit smoking to be successful.”