PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED TYPES OF CULTIVATION ON MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AMONG AGRICULTURISTS IN CENTRAL NORTHEASTERN OF THAILAND
Keywords:
discomfort, musculoskeletal disorders, cultivating, agriculturistsAbstract
This cross-sectional descriptive study was aimed to study the prevalence and associated types of cultivation on musculoskeletal disorders among agriculturists in central northeastern of Thailand. The online musculoskeletal severity and frequency questionnaire (MSFQ) was used. The discomfort level was categorized into 5 levels (no discomfort, slight, moderate, very severe, and intolerable). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test. In the results, 448 agriculturists found that most were female (59.38%), had an average age (±standard deviation) of 57.22 (±9.58). The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the past month was found to be 66.52 percent (95%CI = 61.94-70.88). Most agriculturists experienced mild discomfort (39.51%), which was highest in the lower back (15.40%), followed by knees/calves (14.29%) and shoulders (12.50%), respectively. Age and cultivation type were significantly related to discomfort in farmers (p-value <0.001). Therefore, surveillance of musculoskeletal disorders should be monitored and appropriate preventive measures according to the risk factors of each cultivation, especially in elderly farmers.
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