ArticleBMC public health2016
The health and wellbeing of Australian farmers: a longitudinal cohort study.
Article in BMC public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 172 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of quantitative studies assessing the relationship between environment and mental health in rural areas.The Australian journal of rural health · 2022Pooled it
- Farmer Mental Health Interventions: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Key Risk Factors Affecting Farmers' Mental Health: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Lessons Learned from an Attempted Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial for Improvement of Chronic Pain-Associated Disability in Green Professions: Long-Term Effectiveness of a Guided Online-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (PACT-A).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Stress process and mental health among agricultural producers.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Co-Designing a Consumer-Centred Educational Resource to Assist Australian Farmers with the Management of Persistent Pain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Identification of metabolic biomarkers and pathways associated withFrontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Openness to Mental Health Information and Barriers to Accessing Care Among Midwestern Farmers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Depression and anxiety symptoms in male and female farmers: association with farm characteristics and mental health protection strategies in the FarmCoSwiss cohort.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Stress, Health, and Injury Among Illinois Farmers.American journal of industrial medicine · 2025Article
- Recognising and Managing Distress Among Farming Clients: An Evaluation of Brief Training for Rural Financial Counsellors and Other Non-Clinical Rural Support Workers.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025Article
- Investigating the Prevalence and Level of Pain Experienced by Australian Farmers.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025Article
- Experiences of work continuity among cancer survivors who are self-employed farmers.Journal of rural medicine : JRM · 2025Article
- A Purr-Suasive Case for Sterilization: How Sterilizing Working Cats Supports Dairy Farmers' Wellbeing, Improves Animal Welfare, and Benefits the Environment.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment in the Australian Farming Community. A Preliminary Qualitative Investigation of Healthcare Provider's Perceptions of Risks/Barriers to Care.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025Article
- The development of the Agricultural Producer Barriers to Care Scale (APBCS).The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2025Article
- Mental health among farmers in Germany: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Agricultural or gardening physical activity may slow neurovascular aging and prevent stroke and dementia: an experimental and cross-sectional study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Article
- The mental health impact of the climate and ecological crisis on vulnerable populations in Africa.Cogent mental health · 2025Review
- Support needs, received support and mental well-being in Austrian farmers: a mixed-methods approach.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIsolation, long work days, climate change and globalization are just some of the many pressures that make farming a vulnerable occupation for incurring mental health issues. The objective of this study was to determine whether farming in Australia is associated with poorer wellbeing, physical and mental health, and less health service use.
methodsThe Australian Rural Mental Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study was analysed over four time points comparing farmers with non-farming workers (n = 1184 at baseline). Participants were recruited from rural NSW, Australia. A number of physical, mental health, wellbeing, service use outcomes were assessed using generalised estimating equations including all waves in each model. Barriers to seeking help were also assessed.
resultsFarmers who lived remotely reported worse mental health (β -0.33, 95 % CI -0.53, -0.13) and wellbeing (β -0.21(95 % CI -0.35, -0.06) than remote non-farm workers regardless of financial hardship, rural specific factors eg drought worry, or recent adverse events. All farmers were no different to non-farming workers on physical health aspects except for chronic illnesses, where they reported fewer illnesses (OR 0.66, 95 % CI 0.44, 0.98). All farmers were half as likely to visit a general practitioner (GP) or a mental health professional in the last 12 months as compared to non-farm workers regardless of location (OR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.97). Rural workers felt that they preferred to manage themselves rather than access help for physical health needs (50 %) or mental health needs (75 %) and there was little difference between farmers and non-farm workers in reasons for not seeking help.
conclusionsRemoteness is a significant factor in the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, more so than financial stress, rural factors and recent adverse events. Creative programs and policies that improve access for farmers to GPs and mental health professionals should be supported.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.