Occupational diseases among agricultural workers in the Russian Federation: review of statistical data
¹Research and Clinical Center of Otorhinolaryngology of Federal medical and biological agency, Department of Occupational diseases, Volokolamskoye hgw., 30, build. 2, RU 123182 Moscow, Russia
²Klinsky Institute of occupational safety and working conditions,Department for Science, Berezovoy roschi str., 4, RU125252 Moscow, Russia
³Central Clinical Hospital of Civil Aviation, Department of Occupational Health, Ivankovskoye hgw., 7, RU125367 Moscow, Russia
⁴Administration of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Republic of Tatarstan, B.Krasnaya str., 30, RU420111 Kazan, Russia
*Correspondence: mazitova@otolar-centre.ru
Abstract:
The aim of the study is to analyze the epidemiological situation of occupational diseases among agricultural workers in Russia. To address this task, the analysis of occupational diseases incidence was carried out.
Conclusions. For the last decades the proportion of rural working population in Russia is gradually decreasing, but remains noticeably higher than in other industrialized countries. There is a huge difference between entities of the Russian Federation in occupational illnesses incidence rates among agriculture workers, which can be explained by: (a) the distinction of health care availability; (b) lack of occupational physicians in rural areas; (c) the high level of the incidence of non-communicable diseases, which can disguise occupational illnesses among agricultural workers. The improvement of the health care regulatory legal framework, development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, quality improvement in postgraduate education of medical doctors in rural areas, increasing in the number of occupational health physicians in rural areas, and implementation of long-term health promotion programs are necessary in order to maintain the heath of agricultural workers in the Russian Federation. This list of priority measures is not sufficient, as it highlights only the main issues in the field of occupational health.
Key words:
agricultural workers, diagnosis, occupational diseases