Keywords: Farmer health, occupational health, cardiovascular, cardiometabolic, health behaviours, behavioural change
Background:
Agriculture is rapidly changing and so too is the lifestyle that farm families live. Limitations within rural wellbeing statistics may also subsume pockets of deprivation within sparsely populated agricultural areas. Farmers appear to carry a higher proportion of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk compared to other rural occupational groups.
Aim of the study:
1) To identify what capabilities, opportunities and motivations (COM) influence farmers’ current behaviour to seek or not seek healthcare once prompted to do so.
2) To determine farmers current perception of their knowledge of CMD risk and whether or not knowledge about CMD correlates with responsible health behaviours.
3) To analyse the data produced using the COM-B model to inform future healthcare behavioural change interventions (BCI).
Methodology:
This mixed-methods rural proofed study was co-designed from inception with farmers through patient and public (PPI) contribution. Using the COM-B framework, designed by Michie. et al (2014), we designed a questionnaire. Eligibility criteria included active farmers aged 24-85 years of age with 1 or more risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Multivariate descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data. Questionnaire participants were invited for a face to face interview. Participants were purposively sampled for maximum variation and geographical spread. Interview data was organised using NVivo software and deductively analysed using thematic analysis.
Results:
This study remains ongoing however it provides an example of community based research designed with a 'hard to reach' patient group. Data analysis is ongoing and early results will be shared at time of presenting. Participants (n=226) in the questionnaire have commented it was a useful tool to reflect on their health behaviours. It also yielded successfully a sample (n=138) for interview.
Conclusions:
This community based study is an example of a mixed method design which has successfully engaged an under researched patient group with early involvement of PPI contributors.
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