Prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms and associated factors among rural workers

Objective  To determine the prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms in rural workers and identify frequently associated factors.

Methods  This cross-sectional study included 182 rural and horticultural farm workers aged 18 years or older. To assess internal data consistency, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used. To compare means between groups, student’s t-test was used for independent samples. The Mann–Whitney test was used in cases of asymmetry.

Results  The prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms was 31.9%. The signs and symptoms included epigastric pain (27.4%), regurgitation (18.1%), bloating (9.9%), nausea (9.9%), and vomiting (6.0%).

Conclusion  The prevalence of digestive signs and symptoms reported by rural workers was high and was associated with being older than 60 years, using agricultural pesticides, and being of Italian descent.

Signs and symptoms, digestive; Rural workers; Public health nursing; Occupational health nursing; Nursing assessment