Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess working conditions and renal function among female rice farmers in Nan Province, Thailand. Purposive random sampling was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected from 65 female rice farmers using in-depth interviews. A walk-through survey was performed to examine hazards in the rice farm and a dipstick test was used for urinalysis. The results demonstrated that all rice farming stages contained risks from physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards and that no measures had been implemented to protect participants’ health from these risks. The screening test results showed low urinary pH (5–6) in 54 women (83.0%), but high urinary specific gravity (1.030) in 25 women (38.5%). Participants’ urine contained leukocytes in 15 women (23.1%), protein in 14 women (21.5%) and blood in 13 women (20%). This study results suggest that farming activities affect female rice farmers’ health and safety. Urinalysis dipstick tests, which can be administered at the local public health promoting hospital, should be used to assess the occupational health status. The results will be useful for health surveillance and follow-up of the participants. These preliminary findings need to be confirmed in a larger study including non-farmers.
Highlights
More attention is being paid to female workers worldwide
This study focused on assessing working conditions among female rice farmers and used urinalysis to determine renal function
The urinalysis of 65 female rice farmers in this study showed that chemical urinalysis is an important and useful way of diagnosing and treating disease and performing follow-up health checkups when necessary
Summary
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), global reports of the gender employment gap show that the current global labor force participation rate for women is up to 49%. The labor force participation rate for female workers in Thailand is 60.5% [1]. This is consistent with statistics for informal workers in Thailand, which shows that there were 9.2 million informal female workers in 2020, an increase from 9.0 million in 2019 [2]. In Thailand, the role of women is continually developing. Both public and private organizations are attempting to reduce gender inequality by increasing the role of Thai women in society, for example, by encouraging female leaders in organizational management.
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