Evaluation of the effectiveness of educational interventions in the Pennsylvania central region farm safety pilot project

Background Evaluation of agricultural safety interventions has frequently been identified as an area requiring further research. This study prospectively evaluates the effectiveness of three specific educational safety interventions in reducing farm hazards. Methods Farm characteristics and hazard conditions at 216 farms in Pennsylvania were assessed through a questionnaire and objective audit, respectively, at both pre- and post- intervention time points. Counties were assigned to one of the following interventions: youth education, community coalition, self-audit, pre/post control, or post-only control group. Changes in hazard were analyzed through linear regression. Results Self-audit was the most effective intervention, leading to a 20% reduction in hazard scores. The community coalition and pre/post control group also showed reductions. Conclusions Intervention effectiveness significantly differed depending on initial hazards, indicating the need to target specific interventions for more or less hazardous farms. Findings of this prospective evaluation differed from the initial cross-sectional results, thus underscoring the need for longitudinal investigations. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.