Use of Old Order Anabaptist-Produced Publications to Develop an Injury Surveillance System for Old Order Populations

To achieve a clearer picture of injuries within Old Order Anabaptist communities, Purdue University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program collaborated with the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College to conduct a pilot study on this topic. The team developed an injury surveillance system based not on traditional injury data sources and instruments but on data provided in Old Order-produced publications, specifically The Budget, Die Botschaft, and The Diary. While traditional surveillance methods have generally yielded injury data on less than 30 Old Order cases per year, the Old Order Injury Database, developed through the Purdue/Young Center collaboration, yielded data on 1,153 cases for the target year analyzed. While the primary focus of the study was farm-related injuries, it is believed that this type of surveillance system could be used by professionals in a variety of health-related fields to assist in gathering data and developing culturally appropriate interventions for Old Order groups.