BMC Public Health (Aug 2022)

The role of the livestock auction mart in promoting help-seeking behavior change among farmers in the UK

  • Caroline Nye,
  • Michael Winter,
  • Matt Lobley

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13958-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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Abstract Certain physical and mental health issues are particularly prevalent in farming occupations, yet frequently, farmers, particularly males, are resistant to seeking help from primary care practitioners. A qualitative approach examined the perspective of stakeholders at livestock auction marts to identify the determinants for, or barriers to, seeking help, perceptions regarding basing primary care services on-site at livestock auction marts, and the role of a site-based approach, i.e. placing primary healthcare services within a traditional farmers’ meeting place, in facilitating changes in help-seeking beliefs and behaviors. Findings support previous studies regarding barriers to seeking help, but demonstrate that by deconstructing these barriers through specifically designed workplace/site-oriented support services, more positive behaviors are facilitated. The study highlights how collaboration between livestock auction marts and primary healthcare services allows access to a hard-to-reach demographic in terms of healthcare, and illustrates how such socially integrative opportunities can contribute to the improvement of the mental and physical health and wellbeing of the agricultural community.

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