Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340 Volume 5, Number 5 (2018):
© Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
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Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on The Health of Farm Women Engaged in Rice Transplantation

1. Nalini Chandra* & 2 Razia Parvez
1 Post Doctorate Fellow & 2 Associate Professor Department of Family Resource Management and Consumer Science
Ethleind College of Home Science Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology & Sciences (SHUATS) Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
*Email: nalini_007girl@yahoo.co.in

Abstract

Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Farmers are at very high risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries and farming is one of the few industries in which family members (who often share the work and live on the premises) are also at risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries (NIOSH 2013). Long hours of work, continuous attention, precision and variety in work, extreme postures, poor nutrition and health apparently indicate that the farm women are under serious physical stress. This study was carried out among 60 farm women in Ghaziabad district. Questionnaire schedule related to MSDs, observation technique and Body Map were used as a tool for collecting data. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to identify the workers who were suffering from MSDs. The study revealed that musculoskeletal problems were common among the farm women working in a traditional way. The results showed that the prevalence of MSDs was very high among the farm workers and the most affected areas were back, knees, shoulder, neck, hand, wrist, thighs, legs and foot. From this study, it has been recommended that workers should avoid bad work postures, should take rest period in between the working hours and avoid long working hours as far as possible during their work for reducing job related health

Keywords: Body Map, Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), Repetitive Motion