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COMPENDIUM, IEEC-2023   ( ISBN : 978-81-967860-4-5 )
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Theme-3: Bio-diversity and Resource Conservation, Livelihood and Food Security towards Sustainable Agri-food Systems

Mental and Nutritional Health Status of Women labourers working in Wakari (Arecanut Dehusking Unit)

Shweta Biradar, Vinutha U. Muktamath and Ravi Y

University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnatak
shweturose@gmail.com

Abstract

The health and well-being of women has a profound impact on the overall health and well-being of a Community. The health condition of women workers in India due to unfavourable working condition, work place and the nature of work they suffer from various illnesses. In this regard the National Commission on Self-employed women and women in the Informal Sector clearly mentions that it is important to assess the impact of occupation on physical and mental health of women and its implications. In view of this, a study was conducted to assess the impact of women wakari workers involved in de-husking of arecanut as this work is mainly employs them. In view of this a study was conducted in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada district on 120 women aged 25-55 years with a objective to study their mental and nutritional health status and identify the occupational hazards. The nutritional status was measured by taking the anthropometric measurements like height and weight to calculate BMI, SES was measured using SES tool (Agarwal,2005), mental health scale by Sharma, 2002 and a self-structured questionnaire to know the demographics and health issues. Frequency, Per cent age Correlation statistics were used to analyze the data. The result revealed that majority of women were overweight & obese (60 %), underweight (21.66 %) and normal were 18.34 per cent bases on BMI. With respect to mental health about 38.45 per cent age of the women labourers working in the Wakari had poor mental health and 74.28 per cent age of the women labourers working in the Wakari had musculo-skeletal problems.

IEEC-2023 at RARI (SKNAU, Jobner), Jaipur, Rajasthan organised by Society of Extension Education, Agra, India