Headlines - Monitoring Suicide Mortality Among Farming Operators: Initial Findings

The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance recently published the results of the first analysis of suicide mortality based on comprehensive national data among active farmers (farm managers and their assisting spouses). This study is part of the suicide prevention plan for the agricultural sector, announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry in March 2011, with implementation entrusted to the Mutualité sociale agricole. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among active farmers, following deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease. The study population consists of approximately 500,000 people each year (a three-year study from 2007 to 2009), of whom 68% are men and 32% are women. During the three years studied, 2,769 deaths were recorded among men and 997 among women. Among these deaths, 417 suicides among men (130, 146, and 141 in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively) and 68 among women (19, 27, and 22 in 2007, 2008, and 2009) were recorded. A significant excess of suicides was observed among male farmers starting in 2008, compared to the general population of the same age. This excess mortality due to suicide was 28% in 2008 and 22% in 2009. The excess is particularly pronounced among men aged 45 to 64, and more specifically in the dairy and beef cattle sectors, which had the highest excess suicide mortality rates in 2008 and 2009. These observations coincide with the timing of the financial difficulties encountered in these sectors during the study period.This descriptive study does not allow for the identification of a causal relationship between agricultural activity and the observed excess suicide mortality. However, regular updates of the data will enable monitoring of the evolution of the phenomenon under analysis and the formulation of explanatory hypotheses to better target preventive measures.