Farm Residents Research Articles

Supporting mental health in farming communities where and when it is needed most: A longitudinal analysis of risk and protective factors

The cyclical nature of agriculture exposes farmers to challenges that vary over time, influenced by a myriad of external factors beyond their control. This longitudinal study aimed to examine mental health trajectories for Western Australian farmers over a 12 month period, and determine associations with key risk and protective factors. Farmers and farm residents (N = 125) completed an online survey at three timepoints (baseline, 6 months and 12 months) that assessed anxiety, depression, stress, farming stressors, coping strategies, sense of belonging and social supports. Survey timing coincided with periods of harvest and seeding. Risk factors associated with poorer mental health among farmers included a range of dysfunctional and emotion coping strategies, family/relationship stressors, financial/external stressors and daily stressors. Protective factors included sense of belonging and social support. Stress was found to change over time and family/relationship stressors and financial/external stressors at baseline were found to moderate anxiety and stress at 6 months and 12 months. Addressing factors associated with poor mental health trajectories and bolstering factors that are protective for mental health over time will aid clinical and community services in tailoring their services to meet the needs of farmers.

Rural adolescent attitudes and use of helmets while riding ATVs, motorcycles and dirt bikes

BackgroundHead injuries are the most common cause of death in some motorized vehicles for which helmet use can significantly decrease the risk. Our objective was to determine rural adolescents’ attitudes regarding helmets and their use while riding ATVs, motorcycles and dirt bikes.MethodsA convenience sample of 2022 Iowa FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Leadership Conference attendees were surveyed. After compilation, data were imported into the statistical program, R (https://www.R-project.org/). Descriptive statistics, contingency table, logistic regression and non-parametric alternatives to ANOVA analyses were performed.Results1331 adolescents (13–18 years) participated. One half lived on a farm, 21% lived in the country/not on a farm and 28% were from towns. Nearly two-thirds (65%) owned an ATV with 77% of all having ridden one in the past year. Farm residents had the highest ATV ownership (78%) and having ridden (80%) proportions, both p < 0.001. Overall, ownership and ridership for motorcycles (22% and 30%, respectively) and dirt bikes (29% and 39%, respectively) was significantly less than ATVs, all p < 0.001. Of ATV riders, those living on farms or in the country/not on a farm rode them more frequently than those from towns, p < 0.001. Higher percentages always/mostly wore helmets when riding dirt bikes (51%) and motorcycles (57%) relative to ATVs (21%), p < 0.001. Those from farms had lower proportions wearing helmets versus those living elsewhere for all vehicles. Helmet use importance ratings (1–10, 10 high) were not different for motorcycles (mean 8.6, median 10) and dirt bikes (mean 8.3, median 10), but much lower for ATVs (mean 6.1, median 6). Females, non-owners, and helmet law supporters all had higher helmet use importance ratings. Males, those from farms, and owners and riders of the vehicles all had lower proportions that supported helmet laws. Support for helmet laws was significantly lower for ATVs (30.7%) than dirt bikes (56.3%) or motorcycles (72.3%), both p < 0.001. Those whose families had strict ATV “No Helmet, No Riding” rules had much higher helmet use and helmet importance ratings.ConclusionsOur study indicates that the safety culture surrounding helmet use is relatively poor among rural adolescents, especially on farms, and deserves targeted interventions.

Farming, finance and family: factors associated with anxiety, depression and stress among Western Australian farmers

Abstract Farming is a challenging, stressful and rewarding occupation involving many factors that are beyond farmers’ control. The aim of this study was to investigate correlates associated with the anxiety, depression and stress of farmers in Western Australia. Farmers and farm residents (N = 124) completed an online survey assessing anxiety, depression, stress, farming stressors, social supports, coping strategies and sense of belonging. Higher financial/external trade and societal pressures, family/relationship tension, use of coping strategies such as self-blame, venting, disengagement and planning, lack of succession planning and considering selling the farm, and lower social support and sense of belonging, were associated with higher anxiety, depression and/or stress. The findings highlight the specific impacts of financial and family pressures on poorer mental health status among farmers. Clinical and community interventions that build on naturally occurring strengths, such as family support and community connectedness, are needed.

Farming and the risk of developing osteoarthritis in Alberta, Canada.

Because farming is a physically demanding occupation, farmers may be susceptible to developing osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to determine the risk of developing OA in Canadian farm, non-farm rural and urban residents. A retrospective cohort study of five Alberta health administrative databases examined the risk of developing OA among three groups: farm (n=143 431), non-farm rural (n=143 431) and urban (n=143 431) residents over the fiscal years 2000-2001 through 2020-2021. The algorithm for OA ascertainment defined cases based on criteria including one hospital admission, two physician visits within a 2-year interval, or two ambulatory care visits within 2 years. Incidence rates, lifetime risk, and mortality rates were calculated. Cox proportional hazard models compared the incidence of OA for the three groups over the 21 years. A total of 26 957 OA cases were identified among 1 706 256 person-years (PYs) in the farm cohort. The crude incidence rate of OA over a period of 21 years ranged from 19.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 18.6-19.6) per 1000 PYs in 2001 to 10.0 (95% CI 9.6-10.5) per 1000 PYs in 2021. The overall incidence rate was higher in the farm group (15.8 (95%CI 15.6-16.0) per 1000 PYs) as compared to the non-farm rural (14.7 (95%CI 14.5-14.9) per 1000 PYs) and the urban groups (13.3 (95%CI 13.1-13.4) per 1000 PYs). After adjusting for age and sex, the farm (6%; 95%CI 4-8%), and non-farm rural (9%; 95%CI 7-12%) groups had higher incidence rates than the urban group. The unadjusted non-injury mortality rate for the farm group with OA was lower (13.2 (95%CI 12.9-13.5) per 1000 PYs) than both the urban (14.5; 95%CI 14.1-14.8) and rural (18.0; 95%CI 17.6-18.4) groups. After adjusting for mortality, the lifetime risk of developing OA was 27.7% for farm residents, 25.6% for the non-farm rural cohort, and 24.0% for the urban cohort. When accounting for age and sex, farm and non-farm rural residents have a higher risk of developing OA as compared to the urban population. The higher mortality-adjusted lifetime risk of developing OA among farm residents highlights the necessity of specific interventions aimed at reducing the impact of this condition in rural communities. Further research is required to identify specific occupational and lifestyle risk factors associated with OA among farmers and to develop effective strategies for prevention and management.

Rancang Bangun Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya dan Kendali Pakan Otomatis Berbasis ESP32

One fundamental energy needed for many aspects of daily living is electricity. Most commonly known application of electricity is in the Megaluh Village lobster pond. Due to the fact that air is essential to lobster life, an aerator must be used. Due to the distance between the farmer's residence and other issues, the aerator needs to be operated every 24 hours. The goal of this project is to build an automatic feeder based on ESP32 and a solar plant as a substitute energy source. The experiment's findings indicate that on day two, the solar panel reached its maximum efficiency of 55,74W. On the fifth day, though, the average daily was only around 41,07 W. In relation to the battery life indicator, it is around 12,72V and 2,96A. Furthermore, the battery's output voltage on the last day was 12.03 V and its resistance was 2,64A. Additionally, the average for the inverter's output over five days is 230,5V and 0.13A. The results of the optimal angle servo were 47° because provided according to the required weight, which was 10 grammes. When using a digital timing device, a load cell can achieve a 99% accuracy rate.

EXPLORING THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF INTERNAL COLONIZATION AND MIMICRY IN GEORGE ORWELL’S ANIMAL FARM: A POST-COLONIAL ANALYSIS

In Animal Farm, George Orwell introduces mimicry and internal colonisation. Mimicry, a basic notion in human imitation, is used to study Napoleon and his porcine companions. Homi K. Bhabha's ambivalence and “same but not quite” theory examines mimicry. The pigs' behaviour is explained by these post-colonial theories. This study also shows how internal colonisation underlies narrative mimicry. This study claims that the story's copying indicates colonization's lasting effects and is a strategy for internal colonisation. Old Major's clear speech inspires Animal Farm residents to imitate humans, making them feel inadequate. This study reveals how internal or external colonisation divides colonised people. In this approach, people may adopt the conquering entity's cultural norms and values as superior. Another group may be indigenous. Internal colonisation by another party or associated group could result through imitation rivalry. This level requires imitation to demonstrate power. Animal Farm exemplifies colonised people imitating colonisers. This detailed analysis of Animal Farm by George Orwell shows how imitation and internal colonisation are interconnected.

Adoption and impact of improved teff varieties adoption on food security: Micro level evidence from North Eastern Amhara Regional state, Ethiopia.

This study investigates the adoption and impact of improved teff varieties (ITVs) on food security in North Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The result of binary probit model shows that the adoption decision of improved teff varieties is determined by total family size measured in adult equivalent, off-farm income, number of traders known by farmers, variety information from development agents and research center affects positively and distance of farmer's residence from kebele office of agriculture negatively Endogenous switching regression (ESR)model was employed to evaluate the impacts of adoption of improved teff varieties on food security. The output from ESR asserted that had the adopter households decided not to adopt, their average daily calorie intake and annual food consumption expenditure per adult equivalent would have decreased by 417.908 kilocalorie and 1096.509 Ethiopian Birr(37.8.41 dollars) respectively. Thus, policies and development endeavors targeting to realize food security should facilitate the adoption of ITVs.

Prevalence and predictors of self-rated mental health among farm and non-farm adult rural residents of Saskatchewan

Prevalence and predictors of self-rated mental health among farm and non-farm adult rural residents of Saskatchewan

A large-scale, long-term experimental campaign for the investigation of wind turbine noise fluctuations and amplitude modulation phenomena.

The understanding and prediction of wind turbine noise (WTN) remain a subject on which progress is needed to better address the concerns of residents of some wind farms and to help wind farm operators to better optimize their wind farms. A large-scale and long-term measurement campaign was conducted by partners of the PIBE project (https://www.anr-pibe.com/en) near a French wind farm during 430 days, in order to study the emission and propagation of WTN. The campaign provided 100ms sound levels and acoustic spectra, together with periodically recorded 2 min audio samples, at 5 locations ranging from 350m to 1.3km from the wind farm, in different propagation directions. Meteorological data were simultaneously collected by a 80m meteorological mast, one or two Lidars and sonic anemometers, in order to characterize vertical profiles of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and wind turbulence. 2 distinct weeks of intensive measurements (one in summer and one in winter) completed the data by including 15 additional acoustic points at other locations. The database will mainly be used within the project for the investigation of an uncertainty model of WTN, and of WTN amplitude modulations. This communication presents the database and first results about temporal variabilities of WTN.

Effect of Exposure to Cement Dust of Residents in Vicinity of Kirkuk Cement Factory on Kidney Parameters

The aim of the current study is to determine the effect of Kirkuk cement factory dust on renal function tests among the residents of villages and farms surrounding the factory and those who are constantly exposed to cement dust, which include: urea, uric acid, creatinine and total serum protein for the period from January 2021 to April 2021. The samples were randomly collected (60) samples from different distances as the study group, which were divided according to the distance from the factory into six categories D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, while the control group was (30) samples for the last category, Laylan D7 area, and their average age ranged from (10-70) years, venous blood was drawn (5) ml of blood, serum was separated by common methods of separation, and renal function tests were performed on it. The results showed that the studied groups recorded a significant increase in the concentration of urea, uric acid, creatinine and total serum protein in the blood serum at the level of P≤0.01 compared to the control group.

Regional surveillance of medically-attended farm-related injuries in children and adolescents.

Due to numerous environmental hazards such as heavy machinery and large livestock, youth who live and work on farms are at high risk of injury, disability, and death. This study described a regional surveillance system for monitoring farm-related injuries in children and adolescents. As the risk of farm-related injuries are not exclusive to farm residents, trends in farm-related injuries over the previous 5 years were reported and compared between children/adolescents who did and did not live on farms in north-central Wisconsin. A retrospective cohort of child and adolescent patients of the Marshfield Clinic Health System was assembled. Incident farm-related injuries, including from agricultural work or other activities in a farm environment, were extracted from medical records from 2017 through 2021. Generalized linear models were created to compare age- and sex-adjusted farm-related injury rates by year. There were 4,730 (5%) in-farm and 93,420 (95%) out-farm children and adolescents in the cohort. There were 65 incident farm-related injury cases in the in-farm group and 412 in the out-farm group. The annual incidence rate of farm-related injuries was higher in the in-farm group, but changes during the 5-year timeframe were not significant in either group. In the in-farm group, rates ranged from a high of 61.8 [95% confidence interval (CI): 38.3, 94.5] incident farm-related injuries per 10,000 children/adolescents in 2017 to a low of 28.2 (13.5, 51.9) injuries per 10,000 children/adolescents in 2018. In the out-farm group, rates ranged from 10.7 (8.3, 13.6) to 16.8 (13.7, 20.5) incident farm-related injuries per 10,000 children/adolescents per year between 2017 and 2021. The in-farm group had a higher proportion of injured males and heavy machinery injuries, while the out-farm group had more all-terrain vehicle injuries and pesticide poisonings. Farm residency remains hazardous for children and adolescents, as injury rates were three times higher in the in-farm group and remained stable over 5 years. All-terrain vehicle injuries were high in both groups, and should be a priority in rural safety interventions. With additional adaptations to other states, this surveillance model could be scaled across other healthcare systems.

COVID-19 vaccine coverage disparities in rural and farm children

BackgroundThe risks of severe outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are elevated in unvaccinated individuals. It remains crucial to understand patterns of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in younger and remote populations where coverage often lags. This study examined disparities in COVID-19 vaccine coverage in farm children and adolescents. MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted in patients of the Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) in Wisconsin. The sample included children/adolescents age 5–17 years who were eligible for COVID-19 vaccine initiation for ≥ 90 days (as of September 30, 2022), stratified by those who lived vs did not live on a farm. Outcomes included COVID-19 vaccine initiation, series completion, and booster receipt. Multivariable regression was used to examine associations between COVID-19 vaccination and farm, as well as rural and non-rural, residence. ResultsThere were 47,104 individuals (5% farm residents) in the sample. Overall, 33% of participants initiated and 31% completed the COVID-19 vaccine series. After adjustment, farm residence was associated with significantly lower odds of COVID-19 vaccine initiation (aOR [95% CI] = 0.68 [0.61, 0.75], p < 0.001), series completion (aOR = 0.67 [0.60, 0.75], p < 0.001), and booster receipt (aOR = 0.73 [0.61, 0.88], p = 0.001). Secondary analyses found COVID-19 vaccine coverage was lowest in young children who lived on dairy farms. ConclusionsCOVID-19 vaccine coverage is low in north-central Wisconsin children and adolescents. Those who live on farms have significantly lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccine initiation, series completion, and booster receipt compared to non-farm counterparts. Farm families are an underserved group and require more effective public health interventions designed to prevent COVID-19.

Strategi Adaptasi Petani Padi Lahan Basah (Suboptimal) pada Era Pandemi Covid-19 di Kelurahan Keramasan Kecamatan Kertapati Kota Palembang Provinsi Sumatera Selatan

The purpose of this study was to explore the socio-economic conditions of the community and analyze the adaptation strategies carried out by rice farmer households in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in Keramasan Village, Kertapati District, Palembang City. This study uses a survey method by conducting in-depth interviews with a number of rice farmer households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with a total of 30 respondents and taken purposively. The results of the study related to the social conditions of rice farmers on sub-optimal land in Keramasan Village include age, gender, educational background, number of family members, farming experience, and the distance between the location of the farm and the farmer's residence. The adaptation strategy carried out by some rice farming households in Keramasan Village during the pandemic period included physical, social, and economic strategies. Physical strategies include always wearing a mask when traveling to the city, taking a shower immediately after returning from activities (work), reducing mobility to the city, providing handwashing and soap in front of the house, not selling crops to collectors who come from outside, join the vaccination program. The social strategies carried out include reducing gathering activities, delaying or not holding large-scale celebration events, not doing halal bil halal as usual during Eid, and always monitoring the development of information about the COVID-19 pandemic in the mass media. Economic strategies undertaken include increasing income from work outside of farming, reducing household expenditures, increasing farm productivity, and increasing the percentage of farm produce for own consumption compared to the amount sold.

Wind Energy Development Site Selection Using an Integrated Fuzzy ANP-TOPSIS Decision Model

The identification of appropriate locations for wind energy development is a complex problem that involves several factors, ranging from technical to socio-economic and environmental aspects. Wind energy site selection is generally associated with high degrees of uncertainty due to the long planning, design, construction, and operational timescales. Thus, there is a crucial need to develop efficient methods that are capable of capturing uncertainties in subjective assessments provided by different stakeholders with diverse views. This paper proposes a novel multi-criteria decision model integrating the fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) and the fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to evaluate and prioritize the potential sites for wind power development. Four major criteria, namely economic, social, technical, and geographical, with nine sub-criteria are identified based on consultation with wind farm investors, regulatory bodies, landowners and residents, developers and operators, component suppliers, ecologists, and GIS analysts. The stakeholders’ preferences regarding the relative importance of criteria are measured using a logarithmic least squares method, and then the alternative sites are prioritized based on their relative closeness to the positive ideal solution. The proposed model is applied to determine the most appropriate site for constructing an onshore wind power plant consisting of 10 wind turbines of 2.5 MW. Finally, the results are discussed and compared with those obtained using the traditional AHP, ANP and ANP-TOPSIS decision-making approaches.

Pesticide use and risk of systemic autoimmune diseases in the Agricultural Health Study

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk has been associated with pesticide use, but evidence on specific pesticides or other agricultural exposures is lacking. We investigated history of pesticide use and risk of SLE and a related disease, Sjögren's syndrome (SS), in the Agricultural Health Study. MethodsThe study sample (N = 54,419, 52% male, enrolled in 1993–1997) included licensed pesticide applicators from North Carolina and Iowa and spouses who completed any of the follow-up questionnaires (1999–2003, 2005–2010, 2013–2015). Self-reported cases were confirmed by medical records or medication use (total: 107 incident SLE or SS, 79% female). We examined ever use of 31 pesticides and farm tasks and exposures reported at enrollment in association with SLE/SS, using Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), with age as the timescale and adjusting for gender, state, and correlated pesticides. ResultsIn older participants (>62 years), SLE/SS was associated with ever use of the herbicide metribuzin (HR 5.33; 95%CI 2.19, 12.96) and applying pesticides 20+ days per year (2.97; 1.20, 7.33). Inverse associations were seen for petroleum oil/distillates (0.39; 0.18, 0.87) and the insecticide carbaryl (0.56; 0.36, 0.87). SLE/SS was inversely associated with having a childhood farm residence (0.59; 0.39, 0.91), but was not associated with other farm tasks/exposures (except welding, HR 2.65; 95%CI 0.96, 7.35). ConclusionsThese findings suggest that some agricultural pesticides may be associated with higher or lower risk of SLE/SS. However, the overall risk associated with farming appears complex, involving other factors and childhood exposures.

Occupational and Environmental Health Concerns on Unsafe Acts and Conditions in Poultry Production Sites in Ido-Osi, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Aim: Many food animal production facilities are sited close to human residence. This research work seeks to establish the occupational and environmental burdens of unsafe acts and conditions in backyard poultry production sites in the area of study in order to validate the compliance level of poultry farmers to common safety regulations.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Microbiology Department, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, from February 2017 to December 2019.&#x0D; Methodology: A well-structured questionnaire was administered to farm managers and residents within the area of study. Data on poultry management attitudes and history of water use were collected. The coordinates of the poultry sites, natural water bodies, source area and their relative distances were determined using the Geographical System Information Software, Mapit GIS. Fecal droppings from poultry birds were randomly sampled with a sterile swab stick and transferred into a factory-packed polythene bag. The suspension of the fecal droppings was streaked on Eosin Methylene Blue agar plates and incubated at 37°C for 18-24 hours. Waste-water, soil from disposal sites, and poultry feed samples were also collected in sterile universal bottles, serially diluted and cultured. E. coli isolates were characterized using relevant biochemical tests. The modified paper disc-diffusion method was used to determine the isolates’ sensitivity to nine tested antibiotics. The results were interpreted based on the procedures of the clinical and laboratory standard institutes.&#x0D; Results: Majority of the poultry farms under survey, 83% adopted the intensive ranging system of farming while few adopted the free range system. Layers were the most reared, 50%. There was no documented health, safety and regulatory protocols used on all the farms leading to variations in poultry management practices. Accumulated poultry droppings were periodically disposed between 3-4 days into open fields, flowing water bodies and pits. Among the three adopted waste disposal options, disposal into open field was rampant, 67%. Also, some of the poultry farmers, 42% applied the collected poultry droppings as farm yard manure. Family members constitute the major labor force, 92% on the farm. There were contacts between few of the farmers and their clients during routine farm activities. Majority of the farmers, 83.3% were not kitted with commonly-used personal protective equipment while coverall was only used by few. The five natural water bodies found within the area of study were majorly used for agricultural, domestic, and, recreational purposes. There was history of diarrhea in respondents, 12% with exposure to the water bodies. Socio-demographic data show that young, married-males with tertiary education comprise the major farming population. The relative distance of poultry farms to residential site is ≤ 6 meters while the proximity of poultry farms to natural water sources is between 160 meters to 4,596 meters. Antibiotic sensitivity test shows that multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria were present in poultry droppings, waste water and soil from poultry waste disposal sites. Bacterial resistance to the fluoroquinolones, sulphonamide, tetracycline, aminoglycoside and penicillin was high.&#x0D; Conclusion: The findings on unsafe act audit of the poultry production sites assert that safety of public health is dependent on the quality of water and soil found in human environment. Unsafe acts and conditions with the inherent occupational hazards in poultry production sites are attributed to non-functional health, safety and environment management system. Antibiotic resistant bacteria in poultry droppings constitute biological hazard to humans. Exposure to these biological hazards predisposes the public to infections. Human and environmental health can be improved by reviewing the national guidelines and standards for environmental pollution control.

Texas 4-H Members’ Sense of Community Engagement and Attachment

Previous researchers found that youth in 4-H were four times more likely to actively contribute to their communities, two times more likely to be civically active, and five times more likely to graduate from college than non-4- H members. In addition, youth who were more actively involved in community engagement tended to perform at an increased academic achievement level and were more likely to go to college, according to previous studies. The results of the research reported here described participants’ community service and engagement activities both in and outside of 4-H and their attachment to their home communities. Respondents were mostly residents of rural areas, farms, or small towns and cities. They were satisfied with where they lived, and they reported that contributing to their community was important to them and believed it made a positive influence on their life. Most participants also indicated that the community in which they lived and the people closest to them were important parts of their lives and contributed positively to their development. By determining current 4-H members’ level of community attachment, Extension professionals can better understand the influence a community and its stakeholders have in a young person’s leadership development and aspirations.

ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИЕ РЕПРЕССИИ В СРЕДЕ БЕЛОРУСОВ БАШКИРИИ

The article is devoted to political repressions among Belarusians of Bashkiria in the 30s of the XX century. To date, this ethnic group remains one of the little-studied peoples of the republic, which was a consequence of the long-term priority in the research of the titular Bashkir ethnic group against the background of the ethnocentrism of the historical science of the country. The number of publications devoted to the Belarusians of Bashkiria continues to remain insignificant until now, and most of them are published in the periodical press, as a rule, they have a journalistic, local history, popular science, reference or review orientation. For the first time, the researcher was faced with the task of identifying the dynamics of repressive measures against the ethnic group of Belarusians who lived compactly in rural areas of the region. The analysis of the data of the "Book of Memory of the Victims of Political Repression of the Republic of Bashkortostan" has established that rural residents from among the Belarusian ethnic group suffered more at the initial stages of mass collectivization. this confirms the prosperity of the settlers acquired during the functioning of the farm system of management, as well as the fact that the repressions against Belarusians did not have an ethnic coloring, like their neighbors in the farm residence of Latvians. As an example, the archival and investigative cases of the FSB in the Republic of Bashkortostan from 1931 are considered. The fate of a late-period migrant who emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1926 from the territory of Western Belarus is considered.

Does Rural Living in Early Life Increase the Risk for Reduced Cognitive Functioning in Later Life?

There is a robust consensus, most recently articulated in the 2020 Lancet Commission, that the roots of dementia can be traced to early life, and that the path to prevention may start there as well. Indeed, a growing body of research demonstrates that early life disadvantage may influence the risk for later life dementia and cognitive decline. A still understudied risk, however, is early life rural residence, a plausible pathway given related economic and educational disadvantages, as well as associations between later life rural living and lower levels of cognitive functioning. We aim to examine whether living in rural environments during early life has long term implications for cognitive health in later life. We employed the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which tracked 1 in every 3 high school graduates from the class of 1957, from infancy to ∼age 72. The data include a rich array of prospectively collected early life data, unique among existing studies, as well as later life measures of cognitive functioning. We found a robust relationship between early life rural residence, especially living on a farm, and long-term risk for reduced cognitive performance on recall and fluency tasks. Controls for adolescent cognitive functioning, APOEɛ2 and APOEɛ4, as well as childhood and adult factors, ranging from early life socioeconomic conditions to later life health and rural and farm residency, did not alter the findings. Rural living in early life is an independent risk for lower levels of cognitive functioning in later life.

Early-life Farm Exposure and Ovarian Reserve in a US Cohort of Women.

In a previous exploratory study, we reported lower concentrations of the ovarian reserve biomarker anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in adulthood with prenatal farm exposure. We now examine this association as well as childhood farm exposure using enrollment data from the Sister Study, a large US cohort of women. We collected prenatal and childhood farm exposure data by questionnaire and telephone interview. However, serum AMH data were available only for a nested subset: premenopausal women ages 35-54 subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer (n = 418 cases) and their matched controls (n = 866). To avoid potential bias from restricting analyses to only premenopausal controls, we leveraged the available cohort data. We used data from both premenopausal cases and controls as well as postmenopausal women ages 35-54 (n = 3,526) (all presumed to have undetectable AMH concentrations) and applied weights to produce a sample representative of the cohort ages 35-54 (n = 17,799). The high proportion of undetectable AMH concentrations (41%) was addressed using reverse-scale Cox regression. An adjusted hazard ratio (HR) <1.0 indicates that exposed individuals had lower AMH concentrations than unexposed individuals. Prenatal exposure to maternal residence or work on a farm was associated with lower AMH concentrations (HR 0.66; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.48 to 0.90). Associations between childhood farm residence exposures and AMH were null or weak, except childhood contact with pesticide-treated livestock or buildings (HR 0.69; 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.2). Replication of the prenatal farm exposure and lower adult AMH association raises concern that aspects of prenatal farm exposure may result in reduced adult ovarian reserve.