Prakash C. Dhara

An Investigation of Hand Anthropometry of Agricultural Workers

Abstract Use of hand anthropometric data can help in the proper designing of equipment for better efficiency and more human comfort. In present study different hand dimensions of right and left hand of the agricultural workers (Male: 200; Female: 204) have been collected from West Bengal state, Eastern India. Eight hand dimensions have been identified which were considered more useful for designing agrcultural hand tools. It has noted that there were significant differences (P<0.001) in hand measurements between right and left hands as well as between male and female agricultural workers. However, the percentage of differences in the measurements between right and left hands was small (0.10% to 3.49%) than those between men and women (7.1% to 11.96%) Percentile values (5th, 50th, 95th) of the anthropometric dimensions were computed separately for men and women. The agricultural hand tools can be designed for male and female workers separately using these percentile values. However, it was the common practice of the worker to use the same hand tools by the both sexes. Therefore, percentile values for the hand dimensions were also computed considering the men and women as a single group. The hand dimensions of the subjects of present study were compared with the farmers of central part of India. Some proportions of hand dimensions were also computed.

Assessment of Hand Grip Strength of Orthopedically Challenged Persons Affected with Upper Extremity

Abstract The present investigation was aimed to assess the extent of variation in grip strength in relation to the sex and type of deformity among the orthopedically challenged persons affected with upper extremity and to compare the grip strength with that of control (normal) persons. For this purpose 213 subjects having the age range 20-60 years were selected at random. Among them 109 subjects were orthopedically challenged and 104 subjects were normal, who were treated as control subjects. Orthopedically challenged subjects were taken from three categories, viz., stroke patient, accidental patient and arthritis patient. Hand grip strength was measured by using Lafayette Hand Grip Dynamometer. Some anthropometric measures of the subjects of both groups were taken. The result showed that the hand grip strength of orthopedically challenged subjects was significantly lesser (p<0.001) than that of the control subjects in both hands. The male subjects had significantly higher hand grip strength than that of the female subjects in both groups. The mean values of different anthropometric measures also showed the same results. The grip strength was found to be significantly correlated with a few anthropometric measures of the subjects. The results of the ANOVA showed that the grip strength of different categories of orthopedically challenged persons had significant variations (p< 0.01) only in case of left hand of female subjects. It can be concluded that the lower value of hand grip strength of the orthopedically challenged persons may be considered during designing control panel, switches and other hand arm operated devices.

Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors: A cross-sectional study among rural adolescents in West Bengal, India

Background and objectives Malnutrition is a silent emergency and it is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescent throughout the world. The present study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition among 10 to 17 years old adolescent and its association with socio-demographic factors. Design and setting This community based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between May 2014 to April 2015 on 839 subjects. Subjects and methods Anthropometric measures were measured in 560 adolescents in rural areas of West Bengal state, India, by using standard technique. Different socio-demographic variables were studied by questioner method. Results In the present investigation, about 54% of adolescents were stunted and 49% were thin. The adolescents belonged to lower social class were significantly more likely to be stunted (OR = 2.68) and thin (OR = 2.44). Other variables like fathers occupation, mothers education, economic status and sanitation showed significant and negative association with undernutrition. However, mothers working status showed significant and positive association with undernutrition. Adolescents of working mothers were more likely to be stunted and thin than those who do not worked outside of the home. The adolescents of women with higher education were less likely to be undernourished than adolescents of poor and uneducated women. Adolescents of nuclear families (family size <4) were more likely to be stunted and thin. Conclusions Poverty is found to be an important factor of undernutrition among the adolescents. So there is a require to implement well-thought poverty reduction actions along with providing mass education regarding nutrition and health with a special focus on economically and socially deprived sections of the society.

Evaluation of Different Sitting Postures of Rural Primary School Boys in the Classroom

The pupils are involved in reading and writing for a long duration (4-5 hrs) during attending the school. In many of the rural primary schools in India, students are not provided with bench and desk and they used to sit on the floor during attending the class. The present study was aimed to evaluate different postures adopted in the classroom. The posture selected for this study were sitting on the bench, sitting on the floor by folded legs (Indian traditional posture), and sitting on the floor with stretched legs. The study was carried on ten rural primary school children (n=106) between the age groups 6 to 10 years. The musculoskeletal disorders, EMG (Electromyography) of back and shoulder muscles, whole body center of gravity (CG), body joint angles, and base contact area of the student were recorded. During sitting on the bench, the back region was much more affected than sitting on the floor with folded knees. The location CG during sitting on the floor was shifted to the base from the reference position. The study of body joint angle revealed that the neck, shoulder and elbow angles had lesser deviation from that of reference posture during sitting on the floor than that in sitting on the bench. It was also observed that the EMG voltages during sitting on the floor had significantly lower values (p<0.05) than that in sitting on the bench. Base contact area in case of sitting on the floor was much greater than that in sitting on the bench. It was concluded that Indian traditional sitting posture, that is; sitting on the floor with folded knees had lesser muscular stress and greater stability in posture than sitting on the bench among the primary school children.

An experimental study to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders and postural stress of female craftworkers adopting different sitting postures

This study aimed to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and postural stress among female craftworkers. The study was carried out on 75 adult female craftworkers in different districts of West Bengal. The prevalence of MSDs, body part discomfort (BPD) rating and body joint angles of the workers were evaluated with standard methods. Electromyography (EMG) of the shoulder and back muscles was recorded with the BIOPAC system. The prevalence of MSDs, BPD rating and deviation of joint angle were comparatively lower in the case of sitting on the floor with folded legs than squatting and sitting on the floor with stretched legs postures. The EMG and rms values of the shoulder and back muscles were comparatively lower in this posture. Therefore, it was concluded that sitting on the floor with folded legs was less hazardous and it imposed less postural stress in comparison to other sitting postures.

Relationship of body compositional and nutritional parameters with blood pressure in adults

BACKGROUND Obesity has been regarded as a single best predictor and major controllable contributor to hypertension. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between body compositional and nutritional parameters with blood pressure in rural Bengalee adults. METHODS Anthropometric measures, blood pressure and nutritional parameters were measured in 522 rural Bengalee adults using standard protocols. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was carried out to identify cut-off values of body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (BF%) as associated factors of hypertension and hypotension. RESULTS Most of the subjects were normotensive. However, a notable percentage had hypertension (males: 21.86%; females: 15.27%), although the prevalence of hypotension was low (males: 10.53%; females: 8.73%). Obesity indicators were significantly higher in hypertensive individuals than hypotensive and normotensive individuals. All anthropometric parameters and obesity indicators were significantly correlated (P < 0.001) with blood pressure. Blood pressure increased steadily from being underweight through to normal and then to overweight/obese individuals. There were significant differences in the percentage of hypertension and hypotension between nutritional categories. Blood pressure had significant positive correlation with energy, carbohydrate and fat intake, whereas protein and calcium were negatively associated with blood pressure. The suggested cut-off values of BMI and BF%, which were taken as associated factors of hypertension, were 21.86 kg m⁻² and 20.31%, and those of hypotension were 18.18 kg m⁻² and 13.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In lean rural Bengalee populations, high BMI levels may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension. The cut-off values of BMI and BF% in the present study suggested associated factors for cardiovascular risk factors and these values may be of help with respect to reducing mean population blood pressure levels.

An investigation on prevalence of Anemia in relation to BMI and nutrient intake among adult rural population of West Bengal, India

Background: Anemia is now globally recognized major public health problem. The present study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of anemia and interrelationship of anemia with BMI among adult rural population of West Bengal state, India. Method: Anthropometric measures, nutritional parameters, heart rate and hemoglobin were measured from 310 adult subjects by using standard technique. Results: The prevalence of anemia was high among both sexes and more than the global prevalence. The anemic individuals consumed nutritionally deficient diet than the non-anemic individuals. The prevalence of anemia was significantly high in underweight and normal groups. The Odds ratios became significantly higher in underweight group than normal and overweight/obese groups of both sexes. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in the adult rural population might be related to dietary deficiency and poor dietary patterns. The present study was hypothesized that the subjects with low BMI would have a higher risk of anemia compared to normal or overweight subjects.

Anthr opometric Measurements and Undernutrition: A Case on School Children of South Tripura, India

Abstract Tripura is one of the north-eastern state of India. Studies relating body development through anthropometric measurements relating to general health and well-being in this population are not available. The present investigation was aimed to assess the nutritional and growth status of children of South Tripura using anthropometric measurements. For the present study, 152 students in the age range of 6 to 10 years were selected at random from schools of south Tripura. The subjects were divided into five age groups. Different anthropometric characteristics, viz., height, weight, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of the subjects were measured. The general physical status of children was assessed from height for age, weight for age, weight for height and BMI. Results showed that undernutrition prevailed among these children. The average height and weight among children were found to be lesser than the standard recommended by ICMR. The Mid Upper Arm Circumference MUAC of children were lower in both gender-groups when compared with World Health Organization(WHO) standards. The overall frequency of Chronic Energy Malnutrition in boys (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) was 97.4% and in girls the frequency was 100%. Based on the WHO classification, the prevalence of Chronic Energy Malnutrition among this population was high and the situation may be considered as serious.

Age-related changes in selected morphological, physiological and biochemical variables of Indian field hockey players

The aim of the present study was to find out the age-related changes in selected morphological, physiological and biochemical variables of Indian field hockey players. One hundred and twenty (N = 120) field hockey players volunteered for this study. The players were divided equally into four groups (n=30): under 16 years (U16); under 19 years (U19); under 23 years (U23) and seniors (SR). Height, body mass, body fat, lean body mass (LBM), VO2max, anaerobic power, strength, haemoglobin (Hb), serum urea, uric acid, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured in the laboratory. Analysis of variance with repeated measures followed by multiple comparison tests was performed to find out the significant difference in selected morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters among the selected age groups. Results showed significantly higher (p<0.05) body mass, height, LBM, anaerobic power, strength, Hb, serum urea, uric acid, TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C in the U23 and senior players compared with those in U16 and U19 players. However, significantly (p<0.05) lower body fat was noted in U16 and U19 players as compared with those in U23 and senior age group players. It was observed that VO2max elevated significantly (p<0.05) in U19 age group players, then declined (p<0.05) further in the senior age group players. The present study can be a handy tool and can act as a frame of reference for selection of field hockey players of different age groups.

Evaluation of Colour Stereotype Profile of the Population of Eastern India

The phrase “population stereotype” is used to depict the response preference, which refers to long-term behavior and well-ingrained awareness of a particular population. Colour is one of the main features of any visual scene having the potential to improve or spoil the user experience. The aim of the present work was to study and analyze the color stereotypes patterns of the population of Eastern India. To serve this purpose a color chart was prepared with four set of concepts represented by nine colors. 1640 adult female and 1987 male subjects from Eastern India were volunteered. The subjects were asked to choose colors to represent concepts. The color preferences were recorded as results. It was observed that a higher percentage of the female preferred red (66.42%) for “hot”, blue (35.65%) for “cold”, green (54.31%) for “on”, red (47.0%) for “off”, green (38%) for “safe”, red (77.4%) for “danger”, green (75.3%) for “go”, yellow (46.2%) for “caution” and red (76.5%) for “stop” symbols. There was no significant difference in the color preference between male and female subjects (except the female subjects who preferred black over red for “off”). Significant gender difference (p < 0.05 or less) was found for color stereotype strengths. There was no significant difference in color preferences and stereotype strengths between the rural and urban subjects of both sexes but for “cold” concept the urban males predominantly preferred pink color whereas rural males selected blue color. It may be concluded that no rural-urban difference in color stereotype was observed but gender had predominant impact on color stereotype of the population of Eastern India.