Health Analysis for Ergonomic Risk Assessment among Rice and Sugarcane Farmers Using LINE Chatbot Application

Abstract

Farmers are at risk of exposure to a variety of health hazards, particularly unnatural and strenuous working postures in the fields. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a LINE-based ergonomic risk assessment application integrated with a chatbot recommendation system. Specifically, the study evaluated the application's validity, compared time efficiency between paper-based and application-based assessments, and assessed user satisfaction among health personnel and farmers. The sample consisted of 30 application users, including subdistrict health promotion hospital staff/public health officers, village health volunteers or farmer leaders, and research assistants, and 125 farmers as assessors. The tools used included the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), the application, and a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, and a paired t-test (p<0.05). The study found that the chatbot application passed expert evaluation and passed the test. It performed the following functions: login, assessment based on observation images, selection of images for assessment, introduction of risk in the chatbot, and accurate recording of results. Experts assessed its suitability with an average score of 4.87 ± 0.11 (out of a full 5.00), which is considered the highest level. The application's effectiveness, when used with farmers, was significantly reduced in time compared to the traditional assessment (p<0.05). Scores obtained from the traditional and application methods were not significantly different. The results of the satisfaction assessment of the application among farmers showed that users were most satisfied with the benefits and application, with an average score of 4.80±0.36. In terms of ergonomics, farmers had a prevalence of right shoulder and neck pain of 17.6% (95% CI=12.0-24.8) and 16.8% (95% CI=9.9-24.5), respectively. The application can be easily used to assess ergonomic risks and takes less time than the previous format. Moreover, the results of the assessment are of the same quality as those assessed by experts using the previous format. Recommendations: The application should be expanded to farmers to obtain a comprehensive picture of the country. High-risk groups should be followed up with to reduce their risk levels.