INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE CANCER RISK AMONG FARM FAMILIES

描述：(申请人描述)流行病学证据 不断出现的情况是，农民面临着更大的风险， 癌症的类型。据推测，主要病原体是 与这些超标有关的是危险化学品 农民因其职业而面临风险，即 杀虫剂。其中许多杀虫剂已被证明是致癌的。 在实验室研究中。更多的证据表明 涂抹者通常不会采取必要的预防措施 保护自己不受暴露。此外，农民和他们的 家庭是没有得到应有的医疗服务的人群 与他们的地理和职业地位有关。这项研究提出 将先前的流行病学、实验室、临床和 将有关癌症风险的行为信息纳入一级预防 减少农民及其家庭癌症的计划。这个 预防性干预将针对农药施用者，大多数 谁是农民，他们的家人通过社区为基础 旨在增加癌症预防知识的教育项目， 风险感知和自我效能感，以创造行为改变 以降低癌症风险。杀虫剂施用者将随机 处于控制或干预状态的。干预组 将接受旨在降低个人收入的教育计划 农药暴露和增加安全的农药操作行为。 农药使用行为和农药暴露情况 干预组和对照组将分别在6个月和18个月进行比较 使用自我报告和生物措施进行后干预。因为 大多数申请者是男性，因为其他家庭成员 很可能因为生活在农场而接触到杀虫剂 设置，申请者的妻子和成年女儿也将 接受教育干预。这一干预将是 旨在增加对杀虫剂风险的知识，并提高 癌症预防行为，包括乳房自我检查和 在推荐年龄的妇女中进行乳房X光检查。农场妇女会 接受6个月和12个月的随访以确定癌症预防 行为改变和维护。这项研究将在#年进行 佛蒙特州，一个以农村为主的州，有 在过去的十年中经历了过高的癌症死亡率。

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) Epidemiologic evidence continues to emerge that farmers are at increased risk for specific types of cancers. The main etiologic agents hypothesized to be connected with these excessive rates are the hazardous chemicals farmers are exposed to by virtue of their occupation, namely pesticides. Many of these pesticides have been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory studies. Additional evidence suggests that applicators do not routinely use the precautions necessary to protect themselves from exposure. Further, farmers and their families are an underserved population for health services due to their geographic and occupational status. This study proposes to translate prior epidemiologic, laboratory, clinical, and behavioral information on cancer risks into a primary prevention program to reduce cancer among farmers and their families. The preventive interventions will target pesticide applicators, most of whom are farmers, and their families through community-based educational programs designed to increase cancer prevention knowledge, risk perception, and self- efficacy in order to create behavior change to reduce cancer risks. Pesticide applicators will be randomly assigned to a control or intervention condition. The intervention group will receive an educational program designed to decrease personal pesticide exposure and increase safe pesticide handling behaviors. Pesticide handling behaviors and pesticide exposure among intervention and control groups will be compared 6 and 18 months post intervention using self-report and biological measures. Because the majority of applicators are male, and because other family members are likely to be exposed to pesticides by virtue of living in the farm setting, wives and adult daughters of the applicators will also receive an educational intervention. This intervention will be designed to increase knowledge of pesticides risks and increase cancer preventive behaviors including breast self exam and mammography screening among women of recommended age. Farm women will receive a 6 and 12 month follow-up to determine cancer prevention behavior change and maintenance. This study will take place in the state of Vermont, a predominantly rural state that has experienced excessive cancer mortality rates in the previous decade.