Journal of agromedicine
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2007
ReviewCarcinogenicity of agricultural pesticides in adults and children.
The role of specific agricultural pesticides in relation to adult and childhood cancers has not been firmly established due to the lack of precise exposure data in previous studies. Improvements in exposure assessment, disease classification, and application of molecular techniques in recent epidemiological evaluations is rapidly improving our ability to evaluate the human carcinogenicity of agricultural pesticides. The role of pesticide exposures in the etiology of human cancer is outlined by anatomical site and recent development in exposure assessment and molecular epidemiology are summarized and evaluated.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2007
Farm-related injuries among Old Order Anabaptist children: developing a baseline from which to formulate and assess future prevention strategies.
Old Order Anabaptists are a religiously based North American subculture that is often identified with simple lifestyles, limited reliance on modern technologies, and unique farming methods, including dependence upon horse-drawn vehicles and farm equipment. Members of this group generally have large numbers of children and begin involving them in work around the home or farm at an early age. Children are called upon to participate in a wide range of activities that most farm children are no longer exposed to due to the adoption of modern technologies and changing roles of children in contemporary society. ⋯ Based upon the findings of this study, a body of recommendations was developed for formulating culturally sensitive childhood injury prevention strategies in Old Order communities for use by parents, Old Order parochial school teachers, employers, extension educators, health workers, and others. Those recommendations focus specifically on resources and actions for each group involved as well as on possible topics for further research. The baseline data also provides a means to assess the impact of future injury prevention efforts targeting the Old Order population.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2007
A pilot program using promotoras de salud to educate farmworker families about the risk from pesticide exposure.
This paper reviews a successful community-based education effort to minimize pesticide exposure to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families through innovative training curricula, informal participatory educational techniques and culturally sensitive outreach methods. In 2004, Migrant Clinicians Network, Inc., trained lay health educators, or promotoras de salud, from local agencies in southern New Mexico in pesticide safety and in ways to successfully promote safety information in the farmworker community. Through home visits and small group workshops, the promotoras trained 273 farmworkers and farmworker family members on ways to reduce exposures to pesticides in their homes and at work, with an emphasis on protecting children. ⋯ Additionally, the project showed improved behaviors aimed at minimizing pesticide exposure through accidental poisonings in the home. This pilot project proved the efficacy of an in-home, one-on-one approach with a culturally appropriate educational comic book as an instrument to help transfer education to the community. Moreover, the educational method involving promotoras offers a training-of- trainer approach that is easy to implement and potentially replicate.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2007
Orphan boy the farmer: evaluating folktales to teach safety to Hmong farmers.
Many Hmong refugees continue their cultural tradition of farming in the United States. The purpose of this project was to evaluate culturally based storytelling as a method to convey farming safety information to Hmong families. Hmong have an oral tradition; spoken stories are used to teach about heritage, as well as personal and social values, and end with a lesson or moral that can apply to their lives. ⋯ Participants were able to recount story content pertaining to farming safety and relate messages to their experiences dealing with hazards; unanticipated findings uncovered barriers to adopting safe practices. Several aspects of the storytelling performance influence its effectiveness. Development of folktale content and implementation of storytelling performances are described.