• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 1998

To find the prevalence of the Farmer's syndrome and the related factors, we investigated 909 farmers who and older than 30 years and live in Choongju area. The farmers were interviewed individually with a questionnaire from July 18 through 31, 1997. The results are as follows; The prevalence of Farmer's syndrome was 21.0% in male and 45.1% in female. The age prevalence of Farmer's syndrome was higher in thirties and forties than fifties and over sixties in both sex. Farmer's syndrome was significantly higher in low educational status, low income, low family members and more than 20 years of farming group. However, Farmer's syndrome was significantly higher in non smoking and non alcohol intake group, there were no significant differences according to smoking and alcohol intake after stratification by sex. The most frequent symptom in male was lumbago(60.5%), the second was numb limb(49.8%), the third was shoulder stiffness(43.2%) and the fourth was dizziness(31.5%). In female, the most frequent symptom was lumbago(81.3%), the second was numb limb(70.2%), the third was dizziness(62.2%) and the fourth was shoulder stiffness(55.9%). All of these four symptoms are significantly higher in female than in male. With multiple logistic regression for Farmer's syndrome, sex(OR of female=3.3) number of family(OR of <=1.9) and duration of farming(OR of $\geq$2.0 yr=1.5) were turned out to be significant variables.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2156-2169
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• 2012

This study was performed to find out the relationship between farmer's syndrome and self-conscious fatigue symptoms in farmers of suburban area. The questionnaire was prepared to survey the socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, farming activities, farmer's syndrome, and self-conscious fatigue symptoms of the farmers, and the survey was carried out from April 1 to June 30, 2011 by interviewing 296 farmers residing suburban area of Daejeon city. As a results, the ratio of farmers who had positive farmer's syndrome, doubtful syndrome, and no syndrome were 34.1%, 47.6%, and 18.2%, respectively. The farmer's syndrome was positively correlated with the self-conscious fatigue symptoms, and farmers with self-conscious fatigue symptoms in high risk group were at higher risk of having farmer's syndrome. The results of hierarchic multiple regression analysis indicated that sex, education, health, and self-conscious fatigue symptom were correlated with the farmer's syndrome. Among the affective factors variables, independently self-conscious fatigue symptom was the most influential. As a conclusion, the occurrence of farmer's syndrome was influenced by the socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, and self-conscious fatigue symptoms of the farmers. Especially, self-conscious fatigue symptom was independently influenced the occurrence of farmer's syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Rural Living Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 1999

This study was to get basic data for the establishment of proper labor counterplan so that we estimated farm work volume and work loads by crops. We examined the method of work practices such as a work posture, work time, measured work environment such as hot, cold, humidity and ultraviolet rays and calculated physical loads induced by them. Also we surveyed work environment, work posture, sleeping time and work time because they affect on farmer's health. Farmer's health survey was investigated by questionnaire and measured farmer's physical load. The types of farm work were classified into greenhouse farming, rice farming, dry field farming, stock farming and special crop farming. 11 crops were selected, for example, greenhouse melon, riceㆍred pepper, milky cow farming, pear, grapes, dropwort, sweet potato, potato, radish, and cabbage. We also chose subject districts haying the most yield of 11 crops. Our survey was conducted for the period when farmers think the hardest period in physical work load. The farm work models based on work standard were presented according with farmer's health.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 1997

Backgrounds : There has been many studies investigating the causes of farmers' syndrome. In some studies, psychologic stress is related to farmer's syndrome. And the diagnostic criteria of farmer's syndrome is similar to those of generalized anxiety disorder. So we carried out this study to investigate the psychiatric causes of farmers' syndrome. Methods : This study was done in some rural and urban areas of Kyoungsangnam Province, July, August, October and November of 1996. Those who came to free medical service and completed interview, medical examination and laboratory examination and 20-59 years old were 150 persons. And those who came to health center for health examination and completed only interview and 20-59 years old were 94 persons. The questionnaire was composed of sociodemographic factors, health risk factors, farmer's syndrome, work load, BEPSI(inventory to measure stress), Spielberger's state-trait anxiety inventory, self-rating depression scale. To examine statistical significance, we used X2-test, Mantel-Haenszel test for linear association, t-test, ANCOVA, correlation, multiple regression, logistic regression. Results : The prevalence of farmer's syndrome, adjusted for age and sex with population of Kyungsangnam Province of 1993 was 208 per 1,000(90 per 1,000 in men and 329 per 1,000 in women). In bivariate analysis, farmer's syndrome was significantly related to age, sex, job, income, smoking, alcohol drinking, work load, BEPSI, state anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, body mass index, Hwa-Byung, hypertension, anemia. However, when age and sex were adjusted, job was not significantly related to farmer's syndrome. The score of farmer's syndrome was significantly related to age, sex, work load, BEPSI, trait anxiety by multiple regression. Farmer's syndrome was significantly related to increasing age(odd ratio 1.079, 95% C.I. 1.060 - 1.099), sex(odds ratio of male 0.434, 95% C.I. 0.349 - 0.540), and BEPSI(odds ratio 1.231, 95% C.I. 1.148 - 1.320) by logistic regression. Results of logistic regression analysis of the component symptoms of farmer's syndrome were as follows. Shoulder stiffness was significantly related to increasing age, female sex and BEPSI. Lumbago was significantly related to increasing age, female sex and trait anxiety. Numb limbs and nocturia was significantly related to increasing age and female sex. Breathlessness was significantly related to work load, sleeplessness was significantly related to depression, dizziness was significantly related to job and state anxiety, and abdominal fullness was significantly related to female sex. Conclusion : Farmers' syndrome was related to work load, but was more related to psychiatric factors such as BEPSI and trait anxiety. And the occupation was not risk factor of farmers' syndrome in this study, so further study is needed to investigate the cause of farmers' syndrome.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.817-825
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• 2002

Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and the main factors influencing the farmer's Syndrome in farmers in Korea. Method: A survey questionnaire was completed by 238 farmers who lived in 8 agricultural districts in Seosan City. The data were collected from April 10 to May 5, 2002. Results: The prevalence of the farmer's Syndrome was 42.6%, and its prevalence rate in woman was higher than that in man. The prevalence of the farmers syndrome proportionally increased with advanced age. Variables that were positively correlated with the farmer's syndrome were age, duration of farming, days of resting, and the number of the agricultural chemical's poisoning. On the other hand, variables that were negatively correlated with the farmers syndrome were smoking, sleeping hours, economic condition, and level of educational. In a regression analysis, the factors influencing the farmers syndrome were age, sex, sleeping hours, days of resting, and the number of the agricultural chemical's poisoning, which accounted for 25% of the total variance. Conclusion: Based on these study results, older age and woman gender are the remarkable risk factors influencing the farmer's syndrome. Sleeping hours, days of resting, and the number of the agricultural chemical's poisoning were also the significant attributable variables to the farmers syndrome.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.313-327
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• 2006

This study aims to examine the operating status of the Farmer's Health Center Project and the validity of its business using the benefit-cost analysis. As the pilot project of the Rural Development Adminstration from 1996, a total of 884 Farmer's Health Centers were established until 2004. Internal information of the RDA management unit was used for the analysis. A questionnaire with an interview was also performed with 70 over 468 Centers that had been established from 2001 to 2004. Results were as follows. 1) The Center was mainly used by elderly over 60 years, which took 71.4%. Winter was the most popular season for visiting. 2) Approximately 71% of the manager of the Center pointed out the deficiency of fuel cost as the most difficulty in operating the Center. 3) Users were moderately satisfied with facility and the effect of its use, which took 3.5 point over 5 scale. 4) For the cost-benefit analysis on the Centers, both 5% of social discount rate and 15 years of use term were assumed. Subsequently, the Net Present Value was 3,134 million won, which certified the validity of the business.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.18.1-18.8
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• 2016

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in a rural population. Methods A survey was conducted with 543 farmers from Chungcheongnam-do Province using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for depression, Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS) for social support, Swedish Q16 for neurotoxicity symptoms and a survey tool for farmer's syndrome. Results After adjusting for socioeconomic factors using logistic regression analysis, poor self-rated health, low social support and neurotoxicity were positively associated with the risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 15.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.11 to 81.97; OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.26 to 7.82; and OR, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.08 to 12.57, respectively). The risk of suicidal ideation significantly increased with low social support, neurotoxicity and farmer's syndrome (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.40; OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 2.85 to 13.34; and OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.51 to 9.07, respectively). Conclusions Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer's syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 1993

The symptoms of farmer's syndrome that occurred to Korean farmers are due to the specific characteristics of Korean agriculture, and the basic reasons are poverty and less-privileged rural cultural life originated from social and political conditions. Then the purposes of this study are to investigate farmer's syndrome of farmers and to get substantial data to make a strategy that could prevent diseases. The results are as follows: 1. The most common symptom was lumbago(83.0%) among the 7 kinds of symptoms of farmer's syndrome. And it was more common among women who deliver babies and also work house chores and 10 farms than men(p<0.05). 2. The numbers of symptoms of farmer's syndrome increased as age increases and, 71.4% of those aged 70-79 complained some of the symptoms. 3. The accident rate due to agricultural machine was significantly higher in men than women(p<0.05). By frequency contusion was the most common trauma, fall, fracture were the nexts, and the age group with highest accident rate(40%) was those aged 20-29. 4. To see the significantly correlated factors between faemer's syndrome and sociodemo graphic variables, the more the numbers of family members were, the more lumbago and the less heartburn occurred. And the less gross income was the more frequent nocturnal urinary frequency occurred, and the wider the farming land was the more frequent noctural urinary frequency occurred. 5. As result of correlation coefficient between the numbers of illnesses and sociodemographic variables, the larger the family was and the larger the farming land was the more illnesses the subjects had, and those without spouses had more illnesses.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.13-33
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• 1999

The aim of this study was to investigate fatigue scores, physical complaints, farmer's syndrome and to find out its risk factors among farmers. The questionnaire survey was conducted to 177 vinyl house workers and 213 farmers who lived in Chongyang gun of Chungnam province from February 24 to March 15, 1998. The obtained main results were followings; 1. The fatigue scores were not significantly different between vinyl house workers and farmers. The fatigue scores were higher in female group, lower education group, shorter sleep hours group(under 8 hours), nonsmoker, nondrinker group than otherwise groups. There was not statistically significant difference between the mean fatigue scores and age, eating habit and body mass index. Duration of farming years in vinyl house and farming area and number of farming workers in farmers family showed a slight relationship with the fatigue score. 2. Health scores were not different between vinyl house workers and farmers. The health states was poorer in female group, lower education group, shorter sleep hours group(under 8 hours), nonsmoker group, and nondrinker group than otherwise groups by health scores. Health scores were not related with age, eating habit and body mass index. 3. The proportion of farmer's syndrome was 49.1% in vinyl house workers and 52.1% in farmers. That was higher in female than in male and the higher proportion was found in the lower education group of vinyl house workers and farmers. The proportion of farmer's syndrome was higher in the group of smoker, alcohol drinkers and over or under weight in vinyl house workers, but did not differ in those of farmers. 4. By multiple logistic regression, sex and sleep hours were risk factors affecting to farmer's syndrome. Odds ration for female group was 2.53 (reference group was male) and that for over 8 sleep hours group was 0.74 (reference group was under 8 sleep hours group). 5. The chief complaints by CMI were "I am difficult to work due to aching the back and the limbs", "I feel prickle pain in the limbs", "I sometimes have a twinge in the limbs", "I am not quite well as having a pain in the limbs", "I feel weaker grasping power than before" in both of vinyl house workers and farmers. Vinyl house workers more frequently pointed out skin darkening, skin disease and hemorrhoids than farmers. 6. According to correspondence analysis, skin disease of vinyl house workers was related to vinyl house farmers and digestive and general symptom was associated with male and endocrinological and muscular symptom was associated with female in vinyl house workers. And it revealed that farmer's syndrome was highly related with female and farmers relatively. By the above results, the fatigue scores, perceive health and farmer's syndrome did not much differ in two groups, but aged female farmers should be considered as female farmers represented higher fatigue score, farmers syndrome and poorer perceive health than male farmers in addition to farmer's syndrome was increased with ageing process. Also feeble but distinguished symptoms which might be due to working environment were observed especially in vinyl house workers and that should be considered and investigated continuously.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.58-60
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• 1978

This experiment was carried out to determine the amount of organophosphorous pesticides accumulated in farmer's blood during the farming season. The Blood had been collected for about 5ml from farmer's, and extraction was purified on a Avicel/Darco G-Co (1:10) column and determined by Gas Chromatography using AFID supported on 2% EGA. The Gas chromatographic detection yielded recoveries from the blood of 88% for smithion 94% for malathion. The amount of average contamination shows 0.045ppm for smithion. 0.054ppm for malathion.