The Farm Cardio study opened for recruitment in January 2024. It is believed to be the first medical research study successfully co-designed by farmers and general practitioners. The study, supported by Ulster Farmers’ Union, seeks to identify what factors may influence farmers at risk of developing conditions such as heart disease and diabetes when they consider seeking medical advice.
Mr Allan Chambers, Mr William Chestnutt, Mrs Heather Patterson, Mr Gary Thompson and Mrs Sarah Wilson, UFU Technical Officer, have contributed their expertise over the past 18 months. Speaking on behalf of the group, Sarah said, “We are pleased our study has been well received by farmers and we look forward to reporting the findings in due course.”
Early analysis is ongoing, however, notable factors influencing farmers appear to be seasonal pressures on time and labour availability, attitude to planning ahead, optimism regarding symptoms and fear of perceived consequences of seeking medical advice.
The study received 249 full questionnaire responses. Prof Nigel Hart, Chief Investigator and Professor of General Practice at Queen’s University Belfast stated, “This response to a sizeable and sensitive set of questions is testament to the careful consideration all farmers gave to this study.”
An impressive total of 153 farmers volunteered for second stage from which a sample were interviewed. Dr Rebecca Orr commented, “It can be extremely difficult to recruit to medical interview studies. Not in this case. We regret we can’t speak with every farmer but this shows farmers stand ready and willing to help inform this important subject for the future.”
Ulster Farmers’ Union president Mr William Irvine said, “We talk a lot about animal, crop and environmental health but human health is vitally important in any farm, because it affects the daily management of the business. The farmer is the farm’s greatest asset. The findings from this study will be of great value, helping us to encourage farmers to seek medical advice when required and it will hopefully help our primary care teams understand the needs of farmers when delivering care. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the survey. Without them, we would not have been able to carry out this study.”
The team are also delighted that Rebecca has been awarded scholarships through the Robert J Leathem Travelling Fund, Prof Margaret Cupples General Practice Scholarship and the William and Betty MacQuitty Fund within Queen’s University Belfast. Rebecca will travel to the National Centre for Farmer Health within Deakin University in September. As leaders in agricultural health research, the centre aims to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of farmers, their families and farming communities across Australia.
Dr Rebecca Orr, a GP trainee with the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency conducts the study alongside clinical work as part of the General Practice Academic Research Trainee Scheme which is funded by Public Health Agency, Research and Development Division.
