title: Implications of the aging process: opportunities for prevention in the farming community.
abstract: This paper provides an overview of the demographic trends in aging, and of the process of aging and its implications on physical and mental health, with special reference to farmers. Agriculture employs more workers age 55 and over than any other industry (22.9% in agriculture versus 13.6% for all industries). Aging is an intricate process with inevitable physiological and physical impacts on the various body systems. These changes in the older farmer community are highlighted, along with preventive measures that can be adopted by farmers to maximize life span and quality of life. The farmer community can acquire knowledge about maintenance of workplace safety, preservation of good health, and prevention of chronic diseases that compromise healthy aging.
authors.affiliation: Health Policy and Administration, School of public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60608, USA. kpeters@uic.edu
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Sunanda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stoller
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mueller
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D000383:Agriculture; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D000078329:Workforce