8287037 Human flourishing in the context of farm characteristics and occupational hazards – findings from the agricultural health cohort farmcouganda in the elgon region

<h3>Objective</h3> Coffee farmers in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are prone to significant occupational health challenges. In the FarmCoUganda study, human flourishing was studied in the context of exposure to occupational hazards (biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, environmental, and psychosocial) and farm characteristics in 992 adult coffee farmers from the Mbale district. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> The data was collected in October and November 2024 via a farmer survey in the Mbale district, Uganda. The baseline questionnaire included, among others, personal and farm characteristics, a hazard matrix on self-reported exposures to occupational hazards during the last 12 months (Likert scale from 1 to 5), and the Secure Flourish Index (SFI on a simplified Likert scale from 1 to 5). The association between flourishing as the primary outcome and the six hazard domains, as well as farm characteristics, was investigated using a zero-one inflated beta regression model. Furthermore, the exposure to the 24 pre-selected occupational hazards was prioritized based on their frequency in the last 12 months among the study participants. <h3>Results</h3> Farmers reported being most frequently exposed to ergonomic hazards (mean 3.19, SD = 1.35), followed by biological (2.51, SD = 1.32), and psychosocial hazards (2.41, SD = 1.16). Increased exposure to biological hazards was associated with a lower overall flourishing score (-0.67, 95% CI: -0.98 - -0.37). Similarly, increased exposure to psychosocial hazards was associated with a lower overall flourishing score (-0.52, 95% CI: -0.86 - -0.18). On the other hand, being literate, being a male farmer, and having more agricultural farming tools were associated with higher overall flourishing scores (Literate: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.01 – 0.27; Male 0.23, 95% CI: 0.11 – 0.34; Tools 0.05, 95% CI: 0.02 – 0.09). <h3>Conclusions</h3> The study underscores the importance of a comprehensive methodology in the examination of farmers’ wellbeing. To promote sustainable and equitable agriculture development in rural LMICs, it is essential to enhance the prevention of psychosocial, biological, and ergonomic hazards.