Health status of plantation workers: A cross sectional study
Journal Title: MedPulse -International Medical Journal - Year 2016, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Agricultural workers have a multitude of health problems, a fact often forgotten because of the widespread misconception that occupational health is mainly concerned with industry and industrialized countries. There is no study available on the health profile of rubber tappers in India to our knowledge. Hence the present study was undertaken with the objectives to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, assess the health profile, describe the occupational environment and related hazards and assess the Quality of life of rubber tappers. Material and methods: All 171 permanent employees of rubber plantations in a rural plantation constituted the study population. House-to-house visits and visits to the place of work were made and required information was obtained by interview using a semi structured pre-tested questionnaire. Results: Among the 171 tappers 70.2% were females and 29.8% were males. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was observed among 30.4% of the study population. Skin lesions were observed in 10.5% of study group. There were no use of boots and gloves by any of the subjects. Body mass index in 43.86% of the population was not ideal where 26.9% were underweight and 16.96% were overweight. 45.1% of males consumed alcohol. There was no access to sanitation facilities at the workplace among 87.1% of the population. Conclusion: Musculoskeletal disorders were more common among those with > 2 visits made to shed with manual load and among those with a work experience of > 20 years in the rubber tapping occupation.
Authors and Affiliations
Suruliraman S M, Anjan S, Kulkarni A G, Suma K
Keywords
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