Comprehensive Physical Work Capacity Evaluations for Korean Farmers Assessed in Healthy Volunteers.

Objective: To establish the lower limits of normative values of the physical work capacity for Korean farmers in healthy working individual.

Methods: We developed a comprehensive set of physical work capacity evaluation items that encompass common farming tasks. These items include measurements of trunk flexion/extension angles, strength (hand grip, trunk flexion/extension, leg/back lifting, and pushing/pulling), and positional tolerances. We calculated the normative values for the items and defined the normal range in 124 healthy volunteers aged 20-79 years. We calculated the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to validate the test-retest reliability of the measurements protocol.

Results: The normal values for each measurement item were as follows: trunk flexion and extension angle (65.3°±11.6° and 29.6°±6.6°), dominant hand grip strength (32.2±10.5 kgf), trunk flexion and extension strength (288.4±119.0 N and 297.3±129.9 N), leg and back lifting strength (452.9±233.5 N and 349.2±166.7 N), pushing and pulling strength (214.7±75.1 N and 221.7±63.3 N), and positional tolerance time (squat: 76.8±9.0 seconds, front: 73.8±7.7 seconds, twist: 82.2±8.8 seconds, upward: 71.9±11.3 seconds). Regarding test-retest reliability, all strength measurements demonstrated excellent absolute agreement (ICC, 0.91-0.96). However, positional tolerance showed poor-to-moderate absolute agreement (ICC, 0.37-0.58).

Conclusion: We conducted measurements of muscle strength and positional tolerance in healthy participants of various ages, focusing on tasks commonly performed by Korean farmers. The outcomes hold significant value as they offer a pertinent instrument for assessing the appropriateness of workers, thereby carrying implications for rehabilitation objectives, legal evaluations, and work capacity assessments within the agricultural domain.