Adolescent work patterns and work-related injury incidence in rural Minnesota.

BACKGROUND

Although there have been many studies on working youth in the United States, we have noted none which have provided a broad picture of adolescent work practices in a rural community.

METHODS

Six high schools in rural Minnesota were evaluated for adolescent work practices. Schools ranged in size from 173 to 525 students in grades 9 through 12. A 20 page self-administered survey examining work practices was administered to students.

RESULTS

A total of 2,250 students completed the survey, representing 92% of the student body. Twenty-eight percent of students lived on a farm. Approximately 45% of the male students and slightly more than 21% of the females were involved in farm work. Only 2.6% of students were injured during this 8-month time period in farm-related activities, and 5.1% were injured doing non-farm work. Many students reported working long hours.

CONCLUSIONS

Work represents a serious problem for rural youth. These data are significant in the context of national policy discussion concerning the failure of the Fair Labor Standards Act to regulate the agricultural environment.