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Since several studies indicated that farmers and agricultural workers had an excess risk of brain cancer, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health initiated the Upper Midwest Health Study to examine risk of intracranial glioma in the non-metropolitan population. This population-based, case-control study evaluated associations between gliomas and rural and farm exposures among adults (ages 18 to 80) in four upper midwestern states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin). At diagnosis/selection, participants lived in non-metropolitan counties where the largest population center had fewer than 250,000 residents. Cases were diagnosed 1 January 1995 through 31 January 1997. Over 90% of 873 eligible ascertained cases and over 70% of 1670 eligible controls consented to participate. Participants and nonparticipants, evaluated for "critical questions" on main and refusant questionnaires, differed significantly in farming and occupational experience, ethnicity, education, and lifestyle. The 1,175 controls were more likely than the 798 cases to have reported ever drinking alcohol (77% vs. 73%, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0. 73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.92) and having had panoramic dental x-rays (34% vs. 29%, OR 0. 75, CI 0.61-0.92). Controls spent a greater percentage of their lives in non-metropolitan counties (78% vs. 75%, OR 0.81, CI 0.67-1.09). Among ever-farmers, controls were more likely to have had exposure to farm insecticides (57% vs. 50%, OR 0.75, CI 0.59-0.95) and farm animals (96% vs. 91%, OR 0.48, CI 0.25-0.90). Moving to a farm as an adolescent (ages 11 to 20) vs. as an adult was associated with a greater risk of glioma. In our study sample, farm or rural residence and summary farm exposures were associated with decreased glioma risk. However, nonparticipation by never-farming eligible controls could have affected results. Comparisons of farm chemical exposures may clarify associations between farming and glioma that others have reported.

An excess incidence of brain cancer in male farmers has been noted in several studies, but few studies have focused on women. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Upper Midwest Health Study evaluated effects of rural exposures for 341 female glioma cases and 528 controls, all adult (18-80 years of age) nonmetropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. On average, controls lived longer on farms than did cases. After adjusting for age, age group, education, and farm residence, no association with glioma was observed for exposure to arsenicals, benzoic acids, carbamates, chloroacetanilides, dinitroanilines, inorganics, organochlorines, organophosphates, phenoxys, triazines, or urea-based or estrogenic pesticides. An increased risk of glioma was observed for carbamate herbicides but was not statistically significant (odds ratio = 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-9.5). No association was observed between glioma and exposure to 12 widely used specific pesticides, after adjustment for age, age group, education, and any other pesticide exposure. These results were not affected after exclusion of proxy respondents (43% of cases, 2% of controls). Women were less likely than men to have applied pesticides, but more likely to have laundered pesticide-contaminated clothes. Storing pesticides in the house was associated with a statistically non-significant increased risk. Results show that exposure to pesticides was not associated with an increased risk of intracranial gliomas in women. Other farm-related factors could be etiologic factors and will be discussed in future reports.

Agencies serving the estimated 42,000 to 137,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the Lake States (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota) face distinct challenges, including inadequate access to farmworker data to address their needs. This project developed and evaluated a geographical information system (GIS) database for compiling and displaying existing farmworker data in the Lake States. A three-step study was conducted in the Lake States: (1) a preliminary resource and needs assessment was conducted among agencies serving farmworkers, (2) a GIS product was created using data available from state agencies, and (3) the GIS product was evaluated by an advisory board of qualified occupational health and safety representatives for appropriateness, applications, and ease of use. Agencies participated by sharing their available farmworker data. The GIS product consisted of a CD-ROM with data displayed in a graphic format and downloadable spreadsheet files consolidated by county demographic, crop, housing, and migrant health clinic information. Evaluators of the GIS product found it to be an accessible, unique clearinghouse for farmworker-related data. The GIS product can become a valuable tool for agencies serving farmworkers and those researching farmworker-related issues. Agencies and health professionals require useful and comprehensive databases to track and serve farmworkers, and a multi-agency partnership using GIS technology could provide this capability. Further research is required with improved definitions and resources to apply the GIS product.

The project goal was to collaborate with veterinarians in delivering skin cancer information to a farming population. Two interventions and a control were utilized: in nine Wisconsin counties veterinarians delivered education materials as part of routine dairy herd health visits, veterinarians in nine additional counties provided client lists so education materials could be mailed, and veterinarians in nine control counties provided client lists but farmers received no education materials. A questionnaire was administered by phone to a random sample of farmers in each group, assessing knowledge, sun protection attitudes and behaviors, acceptance of veterinarians in a human health education role. Farmers responded quite favorably to veterinarians in this role. Veterinarians can be regarded as useful agents to disseminate health information to isolated rural populations.

Cumulative sun exposure has been linked to about 95 percent of all skin cancers. Farmers and their families, by nature of their occupations, are exposed to an abundance of sun over a long period of time and, therefore, are at an increased risk for skin cancer. Because education is known to be a primary means of health, Future Farmers of America (FFA) peer facilitators (teen educators) provided third graders in rural communities sun protection education with the hope that the message would reach the entire family. The FFA facilitators (n = 217) from 39 FFA organizations throughout Wisconsin were trained with skin cancer and sun protection information. The FFA facilitators then gave presentations on sun protection to third graders (n = 2,007) in their school districts. Control schools included 57 facilitators and 669 third graders. Evaluation involved pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up surveys testing knowledge gained by the third graders. Students who correctly responded to a question on the post-survey after incorrectly answering it on the pre-survey were said to have had a knowledge gain for that question. By using chi-square tests, the intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant (P < 0.001) higher proportion of students experiencing knowledge gain than did the control group from pre- to post-surveys for nine of the 10 questions. Summary statistics were used to describe the study population. In addition to skin cancer knowledge questions, the survey of facilitators included sun protection behavior and attitude questions. This intervention was able to use peer educators as instructors to demonstrate knowledge gain in the youths of the target population. The pilot project materials costs were +0.55 per third grade student and +3.50 per facilitator. Using a school-based organization such as FFA provided a cost-effective means of reaching the rural population.