Musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and their association with quality of life and mental health among poultry farm workers – an observational study

Background Poultry industry is vital to the Indian economy, significantly contributing to agriculture and providing low-cost animal protein. India ranks third globally in egg production, with southern states like Tamil Nadu, a major hub for egg and broiler production. Workers in poultry farms face serious health hazards because of their physically demanding jobs, which include handling heavy loads and performing repetitive motions. Individuals with mental stress often experience higher frequencies of musculoskeletal pain. The physically demanding nature of these jobs exacerbates musculoskeletal pain and fatigue that can affect one's QOL and mental well-being. Objective To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and fatigue and their associations with quality of life and mental health among poultry farm workers. Methods An observational study was conducted from May 2024 to July 2024, involving 369 poultry farm workers in southern Tamilnadu district. Data were collected using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (Tamil version) to assess musculoskeletal pain, the Fatigue Assessment Scale to measure fatigue levels, the WHOQOL-BREF (Tamil version) to evaluate quality of life, and the GHQ-28 (Tamil version) to assess mental health status. Results Chi-square analysis showed significant associations between pain and physical QoL (χ² = 203.08), psychological QoL (χ² = 125.25), and mental health (χ² = 196.59) (p < 0.05). Fatigue was also significantly associated with physical QoL (χ² = 22.80), psychological QoL (χ² = 8.03), and mental health (χ² = 26.71) (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study highlights the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and fatigue among poultry farm workers and their significant associations with QoL and mental health.