The Role of Cognitive Development in Safe Tractor Operation: A Simulation Study

1-3拖拉机也是致残的非致命性创伤的重要来源4，因此是预防儿童伤害的主要职业优先事项。5虽然过去的研究记录了儿童的人体测量特征与拖拉机操作的身体要求之间的身体不匹配，6-8在儿童发育或有关认知和青少年拖拉机操作的生物医学文献中，几乎没有可用的科学证据。这项名为“认知发展在安全拖拉机操作中的作用：模拟研究”的先导性研究的目的是调查青年拖拉机安全操作所必需的认知发展技能。试点研究将使用国家高级驾驶模拟器(NADS)进行。9模拟器技术可用于我们的研究提案，这将使我们能够收集经验证据来回答使用任何其他方法无法安全回答的重要问题。这项先导性研究的结果将帮助我们建立一个与青年安全操作拖拉机相关的认知发展因素模型，该模型可用于未来的研究、干预开发和政策应用中并进行测试。这一研究的长期目标是通过提供客观的经验证据，帮助父母、雇主和政策制定者为这项危险的农业工作设定适当的年龄参数，以防止青年拖拉机的伤亡。 公共卫生相关性：农用拖拉机是所有年龄段青年农业工人致命性伤害的最大来源，3也是致残非致命性创伤的主要来源。4这项试点研究将调查10至17岁青年安全操作青年拖拉机所需的认知发展技能。这项研究的长期目标是通过提供客观的经验证据，帮助父母、雇主和政策制定者了解这一危险农业工作的适当年龄参数，从而防止青年拖拉机死亡和受伤。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Farm tractors account for the majority of fatal injuries to youth working in agriculture.1-3 Tractors are also an important source of disabling non-fatal trauma4 and therefore represent a leading occupational priority for childhood injury prevention. It has been hypothesized that many tractor-related injuries occur because youth are assigned tractor jobs that are beyond their physical and cognitive capabilities.5 While past studies documented physical mismatches between anthropometric characteristics of children and the physical requirements of tractor operation, 6-8 there is little available scientific evidence in the child development or biomedical literatures with respect to cognition and youth tractor operation. The purpose of this pilot study, "The Role of Cognitive Development in Safe Tractor Operation: A Simulation Study" is to investigate the cognitive development skills necessary for safe youth tractor operations. The pilot study will be conducted using the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS).9 The availability of simulator technology for our research proposal will allow us to gather empirical evidence to answer important questions that could not safely be answered using any other methods. The results of this pilot study will assist us in generating a model of cognitive developmental factors relevant for safe tractor operations by youth that can be used and tested in future research, intervention development, and policy applications. The long term goal of this line of research is to prevent youth tractor fatalities and injuries by providing objective, empirical evidence to assist parents, employers, and policymakers on appropriate age parameters for this hazardous agricultural job. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Farm tractors are the largest source of fatal injury across all age groups of youth agricultural workers,3 and also a major source of disabling non-fatal trauma.4 This pilot study will investigate the cognitive development skills necessary for safe youth tractor operations by youth ages 10 to 17. The long term goal of this line of research is to prevent youth tractor fatalities and injuries by providing objective, empirical evidence to assist parents, employers, and policymakers on appropriate age parameters for this hazardous agricultural job.