Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Kyoung Sook Lee

1 Article

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms and the Ergonomic Risk Factors among Oriental Melon-growing Farmers: Kyu Jung Bae, Kyoung Sook Lee, Yong Ku Kong, Gyung Jae Oh, Soo Jin Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2011;23(1):1-8. Published online March 31, 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2011.23.1.1

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in oriental melon-growing farmers and to evaluate the ergonomic risk factors of melon cultivation.
METHODS
The study included 217 subjects growing oriental melons mainly in 3 villages. Subjects were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. Instruments used the general features and symptom table of NIOSH to evaluate tasks using ergonomic tools (REBA, OWAS).
RESULTS
A total of 202 final respondents answered. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms based on the NIOSH standard criteria was 162 (75.2%). The prevalence per body part for lower back, knee and shoulder were 102 (50.5%), 86 (42.6%) and 71 (35.1%), respectively. The prevalence of pain complaints of the musculoskeletal symptom was 91 (45.0%). The prevalence of complaints per body part of lower back, knee and shoulder were 54 (26.7%), 41 (20.3%) and 37 (18.3%), respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed men were at higher risk compared to women (OR=2.409, 95% CI=1.071~5.389), and ore than 30 years of work having a higher risk compared to less than 30 years of work (OR=2.445, 95% CI=1.150~5.197). High risk tasks were moving around boxes and nursery plants for planting, transplanting nursery plants, and picking melons.
CONCLUSIONS
Musculoskeletal symptoms were very highly prevalent in oriental melon-growing farmers, showing up in 75.2% of cases. They were exposed to ergonomic high risk factors such as squatting. These risk factors must be improved in some way.

Citations

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