Medicina Comunitária e Educação em Saúde

Abstrato

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Farmers of Kanpur-Rural, India

Garima Gupta and Tarique

Background: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are prevalent and the impact is pervasive across a wide spectrum of occupations, as is evident from numerous studies conducted across the globe. However, there are very few studies that document the prevalence of MSDs in India, and there are hardly any studies that focus on the country’s farming community, which constitutes more than 58 percent of the Indian work force. Thus in the present study an attempt has been made to analyze the prevalence of MSDs in farmers of Kanpur-Rural, India. Methods: A sample of 300 farmers of Kanpur rural district, aged between 20-70 years, was selected. Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire to measure the musculoskeletal disorders was given to all the farmers. Results: Descriptive analysis of data identified four most common musculoskeletal disorders affecting the farmers of Kanpur-Rural: lower back pain (60%); knee pain (39%), shoulder pain (22%), and neck pain (10%); and a higher percentage of respondents indicated chronic affection persisting nearly a year as compared to those who were afflicted for around a week. Conclusion: Finding of the present study shows that yearly prevalence of MSDs in farmers of Kanpur-Rural, India is alarmingly high and it suggests that nearly 60 percent of Indian cultivators could be afflicted by this disease, which urgently needs to be corroborated by similar studies at the national level. Low back pain is the most prevalent type of MSDs affecting the famers. Knee, shoulder and neck pain are other important MSDs affecting farmers in the study area. Observations made during the present study suggest that poor postures and lack of ergonomic awareness in the farming community are the two principal causative factors contributing to the development of MSDs.