The Burden of Work-Related Diseases and Injuries among Agriculturists: A Three-Year Retrospective Study in Thailand

Abstract

This study investigated the incidence of work-related diseases and injuries among cultivating farmers in Thailand by conducting a three-year retrospective study with 207,465 farmers from Roi-Et province and 154,478 farmers from Udon Thani province. Health data were collected from the hospital information systems (HIS) of Roi-Et and Udon Thani provinces for a three-year period (2014–2016). We used the ICD-10 classification codes for diseases and injuries to analyse the incidence rates per 100,000 farmers. The number of cases that visited health centres were 53,794 in Udon Thani (34.82%) and 77,438 in Roi-Et (37.32%). The top five morbidity rates in Roi-Et and Udon Thani were work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), followed by injuries, infectious disease, skin disease, and lung disease. The incidence of diseases and injuries found in Roi-Et, a more cultivating-agriculture-based province, was higher than that found in Udon Thani province. WMSDs were the greatest health concern in regard to cultivating activities. Infectious and lung diseases might have also been related to the cultivating activities, which warrants further studies. Our findings highlight an urgent need for targeted occupational health services, and health and safety measures among cultivating farmers in both provinces. Regular monitoring and surveillance programmes for cultivating farmers need to be in place, at the provincial level, to mitigate risk and protect the health and well-being of the farmers.