Authors : Ashish Patil; Tejal Sonawane; Jayawant Nagulkar

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 10 - October

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/9hfrykvu

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26Oct418

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Banana farming is a physically demanding occupation involving repetitive upper limb movements, forceful gripping, lifting and prolonged or awkward postures. The present observational correlation study aimed to assess the association between years of work experience and the severity of upper extremity functional disability among banana farmers. Seventy five banana farmers from and around Jalgaon were selected by convenient sampling. Participants were assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic and DASH scores, and Spearman rank correlation was used to assess the association between work experience and DASH score. The mean work experience was 6.87 plus or minus 2.62 years and the mean DASH score was 45.09 plus or minus 8.95. Moderate disability was reported in 52.00 percent of participants, severe disability in 41.33 percent and mild disability in 6.67 percent. A strong positive correlation was observed between years of work experience and DASH score, with Spearman rho of 0.89 and p less than 0.001. The findings indicate an association between greater work experience and higher upper extremity functional disability among the studied banana farmers.

Keywords : Banana Farmers; Work Experience; Upper Extremity; Functional Disability; DASH; Physiotherapy.

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