214574 A COMMUNITY BASED STUDY of RISK Factors of Organophosphorous Poisoning: AN Emerging Public HEALTH Problem IN CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT REGION of Nepal

Monday, November 8, 2010

Naimeswar Sinha, Professor , School of Medical Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Jagdish Chataut, MD, Community Medicine , Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Ram Kumar Adhikari, Lecturer, Community Medicine , Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Background: We sought to better assess the risk factors of pesticide poisoning which is emerging as major public health problem in Nepal.

Methodology: Of all 150 cases of poisoning, who attended emergency of Dhulikhel hospital over the period of 2 years between June 2007 and 2009, 100 were due to organophosphate poisoning. After collecting the basic information from hospital records, home visits were made to study the risk factors. Data was collected through interviews of the survivors and their family members in designed questionnaire. Comparison families were also identified from the same locality and were interviewed.

Results: A total of 100 OP poisoning cases were registered in hospital and 10 resulted in death. Out of 90 survivors 75 were the respondents. Financial problem (n=15), followed by marital disharmony (n=10) and domestic violence (n=8) were the leading causes of suicide and were statistically significant. The majority of the poisoning cases were in the age group 20-30. According to the occupation, it was the highest in farmers and housewives.

Conclusion: Majority of the suicide cases were associated with financial problems and domestic violence together (>50%). Majority of the poisoning occurs in female housewives and farmers and may be associated with the fact that they had easy access to the poison. Improving the socioeconomic status of the people, health education and control to easy access to pesticides may help in reducing the incidence of poisoning.

Key words: Pesticides, Organophosphorus, retrospective, socio-economic status.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Pesticide poisoning is very common in Nepal and Organophosphorus is one of the most common poisons consumed because of its easy accessibility. Since agriculture is most common occupation in this part of Nepal and these compounds are widely and easily available in ordinary shops. Wide range of indebtedness, social inequality and gender discrimination, domestic violence due to social menace like dowry, witchcrafts, alcoholism operates independently in suicidal cases were amongst the learning objectives of the current study. Hospital based studies from various parts of Nepal has shown that poisoning with Organophosphorus compounds were most common. Among Organophosphorus compounds, most commonly used is methyl parathion. In Most of the cases women were on the receiving ends. So current study is undertaken to assess the common risk factors for a suicide and if are modifiable, would certainly help in reducing such events in the future.

Keywords: Social Inequalities, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: It is an original article under my supervision. The data are authentic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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