Gender differences in prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the rice farmers of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorder is one of the major health hazards among the rice farmers. Both men and women rice farmers have been shown to experience elevated risks of prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). To estimate the different ergonomic risk factors associated with rice farming identify potential gender differences and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among the rice farmers. Rice farmers - 110 men and 110 women were selected from the villages of West Bengal, India. Modified Nordic Questionnaires were administered to assess the prevalence of MSDs. Detailed posture analysis was performed along with the administration of the Body-part Discomfort Scale. Objective measurements of physiological parameters and lung function values were also recorded. From this study it was revealed that the most subjects (99%) suffered discomfort at different parts of the body especially at low back (93.8%), shoulder (60.9%), hand (53.6%) and knee (80.9%) due to awkward posture (99%) and excessive repetitive task (95%) for a prolonged period of time. Both group of rice farmers suffered maximum discomfort feeling during digging (87.7%), showing seeds (82.7%), harvesting (90.9%) and carrying crops (99%) activities. The farmers also suffered from severe physiological and thermal stress which hampered their other daily activities. The study conclude that women farmers felt significantly (p< 0.001) higher discomfort feeling than men rice farmers due to perform numerous household activities which further enhanced their discomfort feeling in their different body parts.