Changing farm injury trends by sex for youth living on US farms, 1998-2006.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the number and rate of on-farm injuries to youth living on farms in the United States by sex from 1998 to 2006 and compare the trends in youth injury by sex.


METHODS
Data from 4 childhood agricultural injury surveys for the years 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2006 were analyzed using a Poisson regression model utilizing generalized estimating equations. Rate ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated from the model, which compared the estimated rates of injury in 2001, 2004, and 2006 to the estimated rate of injury in the baseline year, 1998.


RESULTS
There was an overall decline in the estimated number and rate of injuries to youth living on farms from 1998 to 2006, with a linear decline of the rate ratios for all youth on farms that was found to be significant. By sex, the trend in injury rate ratios for male youth significantly declined, while the trend for female youth for the same time period initially increased then returned to the baseline. Nonhomogeneity in trends by age group, work versus nonwork injury, and source of injury was also identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Additional surveillance is needed to determine if injury trends to youth living on farms will continue to differ by sex. More detailed data on exposure to hazards for these youth by sex are needed to determine what factors are associated with these disparate injury trends and to design and implement effective interventions to further reduce injuries to youth living on farms.
Hendricks
Kitty J
KJ
Division of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, USA. kjt1@cdc.gov
Hendricks
Scott A
SA
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000639:trends*; D000293:Adolescent; D000383:Agriculture; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult