title: The injured and diseased farmer: occupational health, embodiment and technologies of harm and care.
abstract: Occupational health in agriculture is a significant public health issue in industrialised agricultural nations. This article reports on 26 in-depth interviews with farmers throughout New Zealand. Farmers are exposed to a range of technologies which place them at risk of injury and disease and/or prevent injury and disease. In this article these technologies are respectively conceptualised as technologies of harm and technologies of care. Despite being vulnerable to high rates of injury, fatality and occupationally related diseases the uptake of technologies of care amongst farmers in New Zealand is poor. The analysis draws on body theory to explore the meaning attached to injury and disease and to examine the socio-cultural field of agriculture. It is argued that the key features of subjective embodiment and social, cultural and symbolic capital can undermine the uptake of technologies of care, ensuring poor occupational health outcomes on New Zealand farms.
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. kirsten.lovelock@otago.ac.nz
authors: Kirsten
authors: K
authors: Lovelock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D017216:Telemedicine