Depression as a Risk Factor for Agricultural Injuries

The agricultural industry has historically had one of the highest injury and mortality rates, and they have been on the rise during the past decade. Appropriate educational programs are essential to reverse this trend. To help extension educators and health care professionals with the development of such programs, a study dealing with health and safety concerns of farmers and farm workers in Virginia was initiated with multiple objectives. One aspect of this broad study, the effect of depression on agricultural injury rate, is discussed in this paper.