Dairy farmer wellness and wellbeing

These gauges give a snapshot of four factors that contribute to the wellness and wellbeing of New Zealand dairy farmers. The data was collected from Health PitStops run for dairy farmers in various regions.

The Results

The PitStops found that some farmers would benefit from taking more care of themselves. Although 75 percent of farmers are not exhausted, it means 25 percent of farmers are not getting enough rest. Positively, 91 percent of farmers feel engaged in their work, however nine percent say that they are unhappy in their work.

Physical health is an important focus of any wellness measure. 76 percent of farmers have a waist circumference which indicates they are overweight. 55 percent of farmers admitted to poor on-farm safety habits.

Changes in lifestyle can make a big difference to wellness and wellbeing.

1. Exhaustion: 25 percent of farmers showed signs of exhaustion. Participants were asked questions around sleeping habits, tiredness after work, and management of work tasks. For tips on managing exhaustion, visit the Farmstrong website.

2. Disengagement: Nine percent of farmers showedsigns of disengagement from their work. Participants were asked questions around how they feel about their work, if they find it challenging, and how they go about their work. Disengagement from work can occur for personal reasons or poor team management. If your staff seem disengaged, check out the staff management section of our website.

3. Waist circumference: 76 percent of participants reported a waist circumference measurement more than half of their height. Waist circumference is an indicator of the level of internal fat deposits coating organs, and should not be more than half of your height. For tips around managing weight, visit the Heart Foundation website.

4. On-farm safety: 55 percent of farmers reported not using at least one of the following items when necessary: sun safety (sun hat and/or sunscreen), safety glasses, safety ear muffs, safety helmet.

Further in-depth data can be found by expanding the sections below and clicking on the graphs.

• Wellness behaviour, physical and mental wellness by year

  This dashboard contains data from Health PitStops held between 2012/13 and 2018/19.

• Wellness behaviour, physical and mental wellness by region

  This dashboard contains data from the regions where at least 80 farmers participated in a Health PitStop between 2011/13 and 2018/19.

Dairy farmer behavioural and clinical health risks

These gauges give a snapshot of farmers whose wellness and wellbeing is at risk. The data was collected from Health PitStops run for dairy farmers in 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.

The results

The data has been divided into two risk types - behavioural and clinical. While 72% of farmers are not at extreme risk, roughly one in every five are, suggesting that some farmers need to prioritise their health more.

1. Extreme risk: participants with at least one clinical risk, and three other risks of either type

2. High behavioural risk: participants with at least three behavioural risks

3. High clinical risk: participants with at least one clinical risk.

Further in-depth data can be found by expanding the sections below and clicking on the graphs.

• Most common risk factors by age group

  The data presented here is from the 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 Health PitStops.

  The four behavioural risks surveyed were

  • Not having three alcohol free days per week
  • Not limiting intake of fat
  • Not eating at least five fruit and vegetables per day
  • Not wearing sunscreen when necessary.

  The four clinical risks were:

  • Having a cholesterol measurement greater than 6.2
  • Having a blood glucose reading greater than 8.0
  • Having a systolic measurement over 140 and/or diastolic measurement over 95
  • Having a waist circumference measurement more than half of their height.

  Note that the age group totals do not add to 100% because a participant can have more than one risk factor.

• Farmers with behavioural and clinical risks

  The data presented here is from the 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 Health PitStops.

  High behavioural risk is defined as a participant having at least three behavioural risks, while the threshold for high clinical risk is participant having at least one clinical risk.

• Farmers at extreme risk

  The data presented here is from the 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 Health PitStops.

  Farmers are at extreme risk if they have at least one clinical risk and three other risks (either behavioural or clinical), so in total, at least four risks.

This dashboard is updated regularly and uses a range of data sources. To learn more about how this dashboard has been created and the data sources used, contact Dana Carver: dana.carver@dairynz.co.nz

Disclaimer: The data for these gauges was collected from Health PitStops. Participation was voluntary. Participants were not randomly selected so the results should not be interpreted as representative of the overall dairy farming population. The questions were self-assessed, and individual interpretation of these questions may have had an impact on results.