Suicide is a leading cause of death around the world, in the United States, in Iowa, and among farmers. Occupational suicides, such as farmer suicide, have been increasing drastically since the year 2007. It has been found that those in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector had a 50 percent higher risk of suicide compared to other occupational groups. Suicide prevention strategies may not adequately reach rural residents (farmers) due to economic, geographic, and/or cultural barriers. According to the decennial census, 36 percent of Iowa’s population resided in rural areas. Iowa Death Certificate Records between 2011 and 2014 were utilized to examine the relationships between farmer suicides and access to care in Iowa. Farmer suicides were compared based on county rurality and mental health provider shortage designation. Whether a county had a farmer suicide, was rural, had a certified mental health center, or mental health provider shortage area was assessed to discover where farmer suicides were occurring. In Iowa, 86 counties were mental health provider shortage areas, there were 72 certified mental health centers that provided outpatient care, and 81 farmer suicides occurred during the study period. Statistical analyses and odds ratios did not find any significant association between farmer suicides and county rurality, certified mental health centers, or mental health provider shortage areas. However, counties with at least one certified mental health center were more likely to have one or more farmer suicide and counties designated as mental health provider shortage areas were at less risk of having a farmer suicide. Limitations of this study include capturing mental health centers open during the study period and all mental health centers in the state. Further studies are needed to better understand how farmers interact with mental health care facilities.
Farmer suicide and access to care in Iowa
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Farmer suicide and access to care in Iowa
- Creators
- Kyle R. Godwin - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Brandi Janssen (Advisor)Diane Rohlman (Committee Member)Corinne Peek-Asa (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Occupational and Environmental Health
- Date degree season
- Spring 2019
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.wbuh-ef05
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- viii, 54 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2019 Kyle R. Godwin
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- color maps
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 50-54).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Suicide is a significant cause of death among farmers throughout the world. It has often been found that workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector suffer from greater suicide rates than workers from other occupational sectors. Previous research has demonstrated the burden of farmer suicide at the national level and regionally. This study was one of the first to evaluate farmer suicides at the county level in an individual state.
A significant portion of Iowa’s residents, including many farmers, live in rural areas where access to mental health resources is diminished compared to urban areas. Suicide prevention strategies may not reach rural residents, including farmers, in the same way that they have been able to reach their urban counterparts. This could be due to economic, geographic, and/or cultural barriers. Farmer suicides were evaluated based on county rurality, certified mental health centers, and mental health provider shortage area designation in this study to discover any connections.
Farmer suicide rates were high across the state during the study period independent of county rurality, mental health provider shortage area designation, or the number of certified mental health centers in each county. When looking at the county level, a county with at least one certified mental health was at increased risk of having one or more farmer suicide and counties with a mental health provider shortage designation were at decreased risk of a farmer suicide. County rurality did not affect the odds of a county having any farmer suicides. These results demonstrate that farmers may not be affected by access to care or location.
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health
- Record Identifier
- 9983776886402771