scholarly journals Psychological and Physical Health of Organic and Conventional Farmers: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11384
Author(s):  
Lucas David ◽  
Michaël Dambrun ◽  
Rosie Harrington ◽  
Michel Streith ◽  
Audrey Michaud

Farmers’ health compared to the general population has been the object of some studies and reviews. Among all factors implied in psychological and physical health, the farming system (i.e., organic or conventional farming) was identified as one of the relevant factors to investigate. This article aims to review the literature established on the comparison between organic and conventional farmers’ health and its correlates. Twenty-nine quantitative or qualitative articles were identified for inclusion (n = 29). Results showed that organic farmers had globally better psychological and physical health than conventional farmers. Effect sizes were small to large; they differed according to the target outcome. In addition, factors correlated with farmers’ health were usually psychological, social, financial, and agricultural. This review of literature encourages further research in this area, particularly on developing agricultural models.

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cormac ◽  
David Martin ◽  
Michael Ferriter

Research evidence has shown that morbidity and mortality rates are higher in psychiatric patients than in the general population. This article describes factors that affect the physical health of psychiatric patients living in institutions and the steps that can be taken to review, monitor and improve their physical health. The physical health care of long-stay patients should reach the same standards as those expected in the general population.


Author(s):  
T.N. Melnichuk ◽  
◽  
A.A. Gongalo ◽  
A.Yu. Egovtseva ◽  
E.R. Abdurashytova ◽  
...  

Microbial preparations improve mineral nutrition of plants, protect against phytopathogens, and increase their resistance to stress factors. The aim of our research is to study the effect of microbial preparations on the biological activity of rhizosphere and the productivity of oil flax under no-till in the Crimean Steppe. Microbiological analysis of the rhizosphere of oil flax showed that there is a tendency to increase the number of microorganisms of various ecological and trophic groups both under the conditions of the conventional farming system (CFS) and no-till when seeds are inoculated with a complex of microbial preparations (CMP). Under CFS, the number of microorganisms using mineral forms of nitrogen as nutrition increased by 28 %; pedotrophs – by 37 %; ammonifiers and oligotrophs increased under both farming systems. The total number of nitrogen fixers increased by 29 % under CFS as a result of biological preparations use, while under no-till there was only a trend towards increasing the amount of azotobacter. The number of actinomycetes increased under the influence of CMP by 50% under direct sowing; micromycetes decreased under both farming systems. The number of cellulose-degrading microorganisms increased by 18 and 27 % under no- till and CFS, respectively. The yield of oilseed flax under no-till was 0.11 t/ha (12.9 %) higher than under conventional farming system. On average, over three years (2017-2019), an increase in yield amounted to 0.12 t/ha (19%) due to the use of microbial preparations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Voltmer ◽  
Mark Zander ◽  
Joachim E Fischer ◽  
Brigitte M Kudielka ◽  
Bernhard Richter ◽  
...  

Objectives: This study examined the physical and mental health of orchestra musicians of different types of orchestras compared to a reference sample of the general population and of two other professions. Methods: Professional musicians (n = 429) from nine opera and/or concert orchestras were surveyed with the Short Form-12 general health questionnaire (SF-12). Data were compared with a reference sample (n = 2805) with a sample of physicians (n = 549) and aircraft manufacturers (n = 822). Results: Compared to the reference sample and the two other professional groups, the musicians had a higher physical health score: 53.07 (SD 5.89) vs 49.03 (SD 9.35) reference, 51.26 (SD 7.53) physicians, and 49.31 (SD 7.99) aircraft manufacturers. The musicians’ mental health score was lower compared to the reference sample but did not differ from the other professional groups: 48.33 (SD 9.52) for musicians vs 52.24 (SD 8.10) reference, 48.26 (SD 10.06) physicians, and 48.54 (SD 9.59) aircraft manufacturers. Physical health but not mental health decreased with age in all groups. In physical and mental health, women scored lower than men. There was no significant difference in physical and mental health scores between musicians of concert and opera orchestras. Age and gender accounted for 3.6% of the variance of the physical health score, but none of the demographic characteristics or orchestral roles and functions was predictive for mental health scores. Conclusions: Musicians report better physical but poorer mental health than the general population, but they did not differ in mental health scores from physicians or aircraft manufacturers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 156 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Vila ◽  
Melanie Elizabeth Townsend ◽  
Neel K. Bhatt ◽  
W. Katherine Kao ◽  
Parul Sinha ◽  
...  

There is a lack of reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals in the current biomedical literature. The objective of this article is to present a discussion of the recent paradigm shift encouraging the use of reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals. Although P values help to inform us about whether an effect exists due to chance, effect sizes inform us about the magnitude of the effect (clinical significance), and confidence intervals inform us about the range of plausible estimates for the general population mean (precision). Reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals is a necessary addition to the biomedical literature, and these concepts are reviewed in this article.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Plow ◽  
Virgil Mathiowetz ◽  
Dawn A. Lowe

Purpose. Compare the efficacy of two interventions designed to promote health and physical activity (PA). Design. This study was a randomized clinical trial using a time series design. Subjects were randomized into individualized physical rehabilitation (IPR) and group wellness intervention (GWI). Primary questionnaires were administered twice preintervention and twice postintervention. Physical fitness and PA frequency were assessed preintervention and postintervention. Setting. Clinic based in a metropolitan area. Subjects. Fifty volunteers with multiple sclerosis. Interventions. IPR consisted of four physical therapy sessions plus three telephone calls. GWI consisted of seven educational sessions. Measures. Primary: SF-36 Health Survey, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, Mental Health Inventory. Secondary: physical assessment, PA frequency. Analysis. Stability of primary questionnaires between the two pretests was examined. Efficacy of interventions was evaluated by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and effect sizes. Results. Primary measures were stable between pretests. MANOVA showed nonsignificant differences between interventions. Eight weeks postintervention, both groups had improved PA, fatigue, resting heart rate, and strength. Effect sizes suggested that IPR had a greater effect on preventing decline of physical health, whereas GWI had a greater effect on improving mental health. Conclusion. Preliminary evidence indicated that health and PA improved in both groups. Effect sizes suggested that participants benefited more physically from IPR and more mentally from GWI. Future research should determine whether combining therapeutic exercise with group education improves both mental and physical health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Legrand ◽  
E Speyer ◽  
B Stengel ◽  
L Frimat ◽  
W NGUEYON SIME ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and objectives Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly considered a major outcome in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the size of its effect on physical and mental health at different disease stages, compared with the general population, is unclear. Design, setting, participants, and measurements We compared HRQoL measures in four groups: 2,687 outpatients with moderate (stage 3, estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 30-60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or advanced (stage 4-5, eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2) CKD under nephrology care from 40 nationally representative facilities, 1,658 patients with a functioning graft, 1,251 dialysis patients randomly selected from the national REIN registry, and 20,574 participants in the French Decennial Health Survey, representative of the general population. Results Mean age (years) was 67, 69, and 55 in patients with non-end-stage CKD, on dialysis, or with transplants, respectively; 60% were men. Age- and gender-standardized health status was perceived as fair or poor in 27% of those with moderate CKD and more than 40% of those with advanced CKD and those on dialysis, compared with 12% in transplant patients and 3% in the general population. Compared with the general population, HRQoL physical scores adjusted for age, gender, education, obesity, and diabetes, were significantly lower, by a factor of 2.2 among patients with moderate CKD, 4.1 among those with advanced CKD, 10.2 among those on dialysis, and 4.1 among those with transplants. The effect was stronger for those younger than 65 years. The mental score was lower only for dialysis patients. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of the physical health effects beginning at the moderate stage of CKD. More attention to patients’ CKD-related perceived health is needed. Key messages Physical health declined significantly from moderate through end-stage CKD, with impact greatest among the youngest patients. More attention to CKD’s impact on quality of life is needed.


Author(s):  
Carlos Suso-Ribera ◽  
Ramón Martín-Brufau

Background: Recommendations on lifestyles during quarantine have been proposed by researchers and institutions since the COVID–19 crisis emerged. However, most of these have never been tested under real quarantine situations or derive from older investigations conducted mostly in China and Canada in the face of infections other than COVID–19. The present study aimed at exploring the relationship between a comprehensive set of recommended lifestyles, socio–demographic, and personality variables and mood during the first stages of quarantine. Methods: A virtual snow–ball recollection technique was used to disseminate the survey across the general population in Spain starting the first day of mandatory quarantine (15 March 2020) until three days later (17 March). In total, 2683 Spanish adults (mean age = 34.86 years, SD = 13.74 years; 77.7% women) from the general population completed measures on socio–demographic, COVID–related, behavioral, personality/cognitive, and mood characteristics. Results: In the present study, depression and anger were higher than levels reported in a previous investigation before the COVID–19 crisis, while vigor, friendliness, and fatigue were lower. Anxiety levels were comparable. The expected direction of associations was confirmed for the majority of predictors. However, effect sizes were generally small and only a subset of them correlated to most outcomes. Intolerance of unpleasant emotions, neuroticism, and, to a lesser extent, agreeableness, sleep quality, young age, and time spent Internet surfing were the most robust and strongest correlates of mood states. Conclusions: Some recommended lifestyles (i.e., maintaining good quality of sleep and reducing Internet surfing) might be more important than others during the first days of quarantine. Promoting tolerance to unpleasant emotions (e.g., through online, self–managed programs) might also be of upmost importance. So far, recommendations have been made in general, but certain subgroups (e.g., certain personality profiles and young adults) might be especially vulnerable and should receive more attention.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Börlin ◽  
Olivier Claisse ◽  
Warren Albertin ◽  
Franck Salin ◽  
Jean-Luc Legras ◽  
...  

Abstract Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main actor of wine fermentation but at present, still little is known about the factors impacting its distribution in the vineyards. In this study, 23 vineyards and 7 cellars were sampled over 2 consecutive years in the Bordeaux and Bergerac regions. The impact of geography and farming system and the relation between grape and vat populations were evaluated using a collection of 1374 S. cerevisiae merlot grape isolates and 289 vat isolates analyzed at 17 microsatellites loci. A very high genetic diversity of S. cerevisiae strains was obtained from grape samples, higher in conventional farming system than in organic one. The geographic appellation and the wine estate significantly impact the S. cerevisiae population structure, whereas the type of farming system has a weak global effect. When comparing cellar and vineyard populations, we evidenced the tight connection between the two compartments, based on the high proportion of grape isolates (25%) related to the commercial starters used in the cellar and on the estimation of bidirectional geneflows between the vineyard and the cellar compartments.


2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Honings ◽  
M. Drukker ◽  
R. Groen ◽  
J. van Os

BackgroundRecent studies suggest that psychotic experiences (PE) in the general population are associated with an increased risk of self-injurious behaviour. Both the magnitude of this association and the level of adjustment for confounders vary among studies. A meta-analysis was performed to integrate the available evidence. The influence of possible confounders, including variably defined depression, was assessed.MethodA systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted including general population studies reporting on the risk of self-injurious behaviour in individuals with PE. Studies were identified by a systematic search strategy in Pubmed, PsycINFO and Embase. Reported effect sizes were extracted and meta-analytically pooled.ResultsThe risk of self-injurious behaviour was 3.20 times higher in individuals with PE compared with those without. Subanalyses showed that PE were associated with self-harm, suicidal ideation as well as suicidal attempts. All studies had scope for considerable residual confounding; effect sizes adjusted for depression were significantly smaller than effect sizes unadjusted for depression. In the longitudinal studies, adjustment for psychopathology resulted in a 74% reduction in excess risk.ConclusionsPE are associated with self-injurious behaviour, suggesting they have potential as passive markers of suicidality. However, the association is confounded and several methodological issues remain, particularly how to separate PE from the full range of connected psychopathology in determining any specific association with self-injurious behaviour. Given evidence that PE represent an indicator of severity of non-psychotic psychopathology, the association between PE and self-injurious behaviour probably reflects a greater likelihood of self-injurious behaviour in more severe states of mental distress.


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