Welcome to the ‘Arthritis and Farmers in England: Impacts, Adaptations and Prevention’ study information site.
Arthritis is common among farmers and farm workers, yet there has been little UK research of how arthritis impacts the physical and general well-being of people within farming communities. There is scant insight of how farmers and farm workers adapt their lifestyles and work routines to prevent or live well with arthritic conditions. The Arthritis + Farmers study, based at the University of Worcester, seeks to address this gap in knowledge.
By recruiting individual farmers across ages, genders, sub-sectors and severity of arthritis, we will explore:
- How arthritis is anticipated.
- How it is lived.
- How much is known in the farming sector and academic scholarship about ways of coping with arthritis.
- The range of adaptations individual farmers and farm workers currently make around their arthritis.
- New ways of preventing and coping with arthritis, whether they might be related to diet, lifestyle or physical adaptations.
The aim of the study is to understand the lived experience of farming with arthritis and produce guidance in various formats for prevention and living well with the condition. These resources aim to support the understanding of arthritis in farming communities and support the work of well-being professionals.
BBC report ‘University to head study into arthritis in farmers’ 16/10/2025
BBC report ‘Farmers urged to help on ‘overdue’ arthritis study’ 04/06/2026