A preliminary study on the effect of health and safety education for farmers’ behavior and lifestyle related to health

Introduction
Farming belongs to one of the dangerous industries. An intervention study, ‘Safety model for farm work’, to improve the health and safety of farmers in South Korea has been conducted since 2006 till present. The aim was to investigate the safety management and the disaster of farm work and assess the effect of systematic intervention.

Methods
This study was examined in a longitudinal study in Korean farmers and the time lag was three years. Survey data of 298 participants was analyzed, using scores on the questionnaire including the NIOSH criteria and “Health survey short form-12(SF-12)” at baseline (in 2006) and at 3-year follow-up. The health status of farmers and the changes of farm work-related health variables were investigated.

Results
The results showed that their lifestyle, symptoms in musculoskeletal condition, the farmer disease, and the fitness level had been changed over three years. The lifestyle such as the regular exercise and the drinking rate was positively altered and the farmer disease was decreased.

Discussion
It was indicated that the preliminary result would be utilized for improving the questionnaire as well as a means of the intervention to make the effective prevention of farmers’ injuries.