In health promotion circles, farmers are known as a “hard to reach” group, so when nurse Laura Tully started the Fit Farmers programme in Roscommon five years ago, she wasn’t surprised that she had to cajole farmers to sign up.
“Now, they are phoning me to join the classes and I have a waiting list,” says Tully, who does this work as well as her full-time job as head of the sexual health service for students in the Athlone campus of the Technological University on the Shannon. “It’s my passion,” says Tully who developed the health and wellbeing programme specifically for farmers in Co Roscommon with funding from the Healthy Ireland Initiative through the Roscommon Sports Partnership.
Free two-hour long classes are held in local community halls over six weeks with the first hour dedicated to health education and the second to an exercise programme. Before setting up the programme, Tully was acutely aware that farmers tend to put off going to the doctor until they have something seriously wrong with them.
The majority of male farmers (85 per cent) are either overweight or obese, higher than the national average of 68 per cent of Irish men, according to the Farmers Have Hearts Cardiovascular Study 2020. Abdominal weight in particular is a major risk factor for heart disease.
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Not prioritising regular health check-ups with their GPs, many also have undiagnosed high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
“The farmers speak about the benefits of weight loss, improved heart rate and fitness over the six weeks but what is also significant is that they find their tribe through this programme,” says Tully. “They feel accepted and not judged, and they rebuild friendships with people they had lost contact with, and that is a big impact of the programme.”
She believes that being from rural Roscommon herself and a trained nurse, the farmers feel they can confide in her about their health concerns. “The key to the success of the programme is the relationships I build up with the participants. We have a bit of craic and banter. I have 700 phone numbers in my phone now and while I take on only one programme at a time, I keep in touch with them all through WhatsApp groups.”
Businessman and part-time farmer Tom Raftery (68) did one of the first Fit Farmers programmes in 2019 and recently completed another one. “I first joined because I had put on a bit of weight and needed to get out of a rut. I found the classes recharged my batteries,” he explains. Raftery says that while he did lose weight, he put it on again during a period of illness. “So, now, I want to lose it again,” he says, adding that since joining the classes, he walks 5km or 6km four or five times a week.
The Fit Farmers groups – the vast majority of members are middle-aged men – can sign up to do a “farm to 5k” walk each week and some also go on a hike at the weekends. “I set up a weekly walk-and-talk group with each programme which the participants take over afterwards. I try to leave a legacy in the communities I work in,” says Tully.
Retired secondary schoolteacher and farmer Una Killoran (64) has just finished the six-week Fit Farmers programme in Elphin, Co Roscommon. “I’ve been to numerous healthy eating talks but nothing clicked with me like this one. Laura’s enthusiasm is uplifting,” she says.
Tackling unhealthy habits is just as important as encouraging the farmers to improve their fitness. The 2020 Farmers Have Hearts Cardiovascular Health Programme study found the majority of farmers eat salty and/or sugary snacks every day with one in five having fried food three or more times a week and four in five not eating the recommended daily intake of five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
“Farmers are interested in understanding the science behind good nutrition when we talk about eating the rainbow in terms of different coloured fruit and vegetables [to get a good mix of vitamins and minerals]. The focus is on embracing one new habit a week such as switching from white bread to brown bread, cutting down on alcohol or eating a healthier cereal in the mornings,” says Tully.
Killoran has lost over 6kg since doing the course. “I’m eating a better breakfast, having porridge every day. I eat more vegetables. I drink more water and I’m not eating at night like I used to so my sleep has improved,” she says. The central pillars of the Fit Farmers programme are diet, movement, sleep and stress management for a better work-life balance.
Although you’d expect farmers to be physically strong and fit from their work, Tully says joint issues and back pain regularly come up as issues for farmers.
“There is a lot of pressure and isolation in farming. Farmers have to face unexpected weather events, changes in commodity prices. These classes offer a buffer against the negative impacts of their occupation so the energy, focus and concentration they need doesn’t dip. Maintaining a work-life balance is another real issue for farmers.
“We talk about how important it is to separate your work from the rest of your life. How winding down your routine at night-time – and not doing your finances in the evening – helps you get a good night’s sleep. After the classes, they go home in better form. It helps them to re-set the button,” Tully says.
While she continues to run her classes in Roscommon, the nurse says that since she started, many other counties have set up similar health and wellbeing courses for farmers. The Irish Heart Foundation also holds free one-to-one health checks in marts across the country. At these events, nurses will check blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, pulse rate, body mass index, waist circumference and carbon monoxide levels (for smokers).
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