A Comparative Study on the Impact of Thermal Working Environmental Factors and Workload on Cardiac Response Indicators in Male Food Crop Cultivators of Two Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Indian agriculture is characterized by overwhelmingly small holdings due to higher population density and nearly two-third of its population residing in the rural villages. Moreover, the different agricultural task is most commonly seasonal, and the cultivators often spend long hours under the open air. In order to ensure health, safety, well being and achieving better work performance, the assessment of cardiac response indicators is considered as an essential factor. In this backdrop the present study has been undertaken to assess the impact of thermal working environmental condition and workload on workers’ health status and cardiac response profile in 36 Bengalee male paddy cultivators (age range 21-30 years) involved in manual traditional threshing task during ‘Boro’ type of paddy cultivation and compared it with 31 male individuals engaged in similar type of task belonging to the Santhal tribe group. Indicators of thermal working environmental condition were calculated. Cardiac response indicators and physical fitness status of the study participants were also calculated. From the present study it may be concluded that, cardiac strain was significantly higher in Bengalee male workers compared to their age matched Santhal counter parts while physical fitness status was significantly higher in Santhal male workers compared to their age matched Bengalee counterparts.