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. 2023 May 13;14(3):243–249. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2023.05.001

Table 2.

Systematic review table

Article code Location Participants Measurement tools Main result
A1 Thailand 481 older farmers (≤60 y/o) Self-report of MSDs, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
Level of burden work: N/A
The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms over the past 7 days and 12 months was 87.9% and 88.9%, respectively
A2 Thailand 243 conventional (pesticide using) farmers and 235 organic farmers Validated questionnaires in face-to-face interviews.
Level of burden work: N/A
Organic farmers reported significantly more musculoskeletal pain, numbness, or weakness over the past 3 months compared to conventional farmers.
A3 Malaysia 446 male farmers Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS)
Level of burden work: N/A
Awkward posture was a particularly significant risk factor of MSDs among FFB collectors (86% of the respondents' complained of experiencing MSDs)
A4 Thailand 334 oil palm harvesting workers Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Job Content Questionnaire,
Level of burden work: N/A
The prevalence of MSDs during the past 12 months was 88.0%
A5 Thailand 861 Cambodian farm workers Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and Hazard Zone Jobs Checklist technique
Level of burden work: N/A
The prevalence of musculoskeletal was 83,6%. The study showed significant differences between men and women with respect to their current drinking history, duration of work (years), and use of insecticide spraying methods. In addition, the difference in proportion of exposure to hazards between men and women, including heavy work and standing work
A6 Indonesia 502 farmers Measurement of body anthropometry and measurement of the dimensions handles of agriculture tools.
Level of burden work: N/A
Majority of farmers complained to suffer fatigue in upper back (92.8%), mid back (93.6%), and lower back (91.8%), respectively
A7 Indonesia 179 farmers
  • Self-administered questionnaire and physical examination

  • Level of burden work:

  • Not stressed (< median score)

  • Stressed (≥ median score)

The prevalence of varying health problems was 28.5% underweight, 10.6% overweight, 62.6%anemia, and 50.3% joint and bone pain.
A8 Malaysia 88 oil palm workers Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (MNQ) and Field observation for awkward posture
Level of burden work: N/A
99% of workers have MSDs problems caused by manual material handling, awkward postures, repetitive works, heavy load, excessive force and not using ergonomic tools
A9 Thailand 529 sugarcane farmers Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and WHO-QOLBREF questionnaire
Level of burden work: N/A
It was found that as high as 74.29% (of sugarcane farmers had MSDs and 36.29% had poor QOL. MSDs were significantly associated with poor QOL
A10 Thailand 370 rubber farmers Job content questionnaire, CES-D, Musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire
Level of burden work: N/A
The prevalence of MSDs in the past 12 months was 87.7 % and 47.6% for the past 7 days, depression symptoms (15.7 %), and hand eczema (8.9 %). Additionally, nearly half of the Thai rubber farmers had an accident at work (45.1 %, while 22 % reported to have been bitten by a poisonous animal
A11 Indonesia 251 farmers Nordic body map, REBA
Level of burden work: N/A
Indonesian agriculture is in a poor ergonomics condition and is associated with high musculoskeletal symptoms. The most common symptom is lower back pain (82.1%).
A12 Thailand 50 farmers Validated MSDs questionnaire and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA)
Level of burden work: N/A
The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders after one year at work was 78%
A13 Thailand 14 mango farmers Modified Nordic Questionnaire, Borg CR-10, RULA, REBA, FEI
Level of burden work: N/A
This study indicated clearly that WMSDs are highly prevalent in mango-harvesting farmers 100%
A14 Indonesia 40 farmers Nordic Body map
Level of burden work: N/A
Most of the respondents, with as many as 24 (60%) of respondents having complaints of MSDs. There was no significant correlation between age and the period of working with MSDs complaints. There was no significant correlation between age and period of working with MSDs

Note: The definition of the outcome prevalence and magnitude of association are provided in Supplemental Materials Table S2.