Comparison of severe on-farm injuries to older and younger persons in New South Wales (2012-2016)

Abstract

Objectives: To assess and compare rates of severe on-farm injury for older (> 50 years) and younger (15-49 years) cohorts, on NSW farms.

Design: Descriptive retrospective epidemiological study of the New South Wales Trauma Registry (Institute of Trauma and Injury Management - ITIM) for persons injured on a farm.

Setting: New South Wales, Australia.

Participants: Cases involving persons (≥15 years), with data on the NSW Trauma Registry (2012-16).

Main outcome measures: Comparison of injury rates and severity between younger (15-49 years) and older (50+ years) cohorts over the 2012-16 period based on Injury Severity Scores (ISS).

Results: Older males are injured at a rate that is roughly 18% higher than younger males and 13% higher than the overall injury rate. Older individuals also have significantly longer hospital stays post-injury (P = 0.01), with this being most pronounced for older men (P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in ISS demonstrated between the age cohorts (P = 0.64), except for younger women having higher median ISS than their older female counterparts (P = 0.02).

Conclusion: Overall, the general trends displayed support the contention that older males are more likely to incur a severe on-farm injury than their younger counterparts. This provides support for a preventative focus targeting older farmers in NSW.

Keywords: Agriculture; ageing; farm; injury.