An Epidemiological Study on the Peasant's syndrome in Rural Korea

한국일부 농촌주민의 건강관리에 대한 역학적 고찰 (농부증을 중심으로)

Five hundred seventeen farmers(214 males and 303 females), over age 30 and living in Suh San County, Unsan township, were examined to determine the prevalence of peasants syndrome. Using the health interview questionnaire, the farmers were asked whether they had any of eight subjective symptoms during the past one month before the survey, October 1979. Those symptoms reported were scored based on a pre-determined point system. The farmers with high symptom scores(7 points or more) were further examined by the liver function test. In addition, all the sample(517 cases) were subjected to the examination of urinalysis and blood pressure. The liver function test is also undertaken for those farmers with high symptome scores(7 points or more) and those with abnormal findings in urinalysis and blood pressure. The results are summarized below: 1) 156 out of 517 farmers(30.2%) have had seven points or more of the symptom scores. Among the eight major symptoms, 72% of the farmers complained of lumbago. 2) The prevalence of peasant's syndrome were higher among females and the older age group. The symptom scores of this syndrome were slightly higher among women who have had many children (e. g. 4 or more). 3) The prevalence of peasant's syndrome was also related to the level of one's education-the lower education groups were found to have higher symptom scores of this syndrome. This may be due to the fact that the lower education groups are more exposed to manual labor. 4) The points of the peasants syndrome were higher in hypertensive farmers and those with abnormal findings of urinaly sis. 5) It was reported, in Japan, that those with high scores of the syndrome are more likely to have an abnormal findings in the liver function test. However, in this study it was observed that there was no significant difference between those with high scores of the syndrome (7 points or more) and those with low score of the syndrome(6 points or less) in the prevalence of abnormal liver function. As this study indicates that the point system given for the peasant's syndrome is closely related to the high bleod pressure and abnormal urinalysis(and to some extent to the abnormal liver function), there is a need to study peasant's syndrome more extensively. Such an effort will serve to detect varonic disease conditions among farmer's towards better management of farmer's health, which is vitally important for rural development in Korea.