title: An outcome evaluation of a New Zealand farm safety intervention: a historical cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is limited evidence that farm safety-related interventions based solely on an educational element have an effect on injury rates. Our aim was to evaluate a New Zealand national educational program, FarmSafe™ Awareness, for its effect on injury rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a before-after design followed by a historical cohort study of sheep, beef, and dairy farmers/workers. The outcomes were work-related injuries, identified from workers compensation data. Cox regressions were used to compare intervention with matched control group rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FarmSafe™ Awareness was associated with significantly higher rates of work-related injury, than matched controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is difficult to see how FarmSafe™ Awareness could be causing an increased rate of work-related injury. We detected no reporting bias, and selection bias is likely to act in the opposite direction to the observed results. We conclude that there is no evidence that FarmSafe™ Awareness prevents farm injury.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Unit, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cryer
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Langley
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samaranayaka
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davie
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morgaine
authors.forename: Rebbecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lilley
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barson
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D014942:Workers' Compensation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: agriculture; evaluation; health and safety; historical cohort study; injury