Occupational and general health profile of fisherwomen- A study in two districts of Kashmir valley

Fishing is a very challenging profession and requires lot of hard work. Fisherwomen are actively involved in this occupation contributing significantly. The study conducted in two districts of Kashmir valley with a sample size of 200 fisherwomen (100 from each district) was an attempt to explore the health status of the fisherwomen in Kashmir valley. Data was collected using interview schedule divided into seven sections each consisting of questions pertaining to various types of ailments. The results revealed that the majority of the fisherwomen were free from the ailments however, they suffered from occupational diseases that were taking heavy toll on their health. This occupation has been researched to take a toll on fishers and fisherwomen are reported more to suffer from occupational diseases. This study ventures to explore the health status of fisherwomen in Kashmir. The results although positive in health status highlights some of the major issues faced by the fisherwomen with regards to healthcare. The study prompts the concerned authorities to make better efforts with regards to spread healthcare education among this community. They shall be made aware of various healthcare schemes that they can avail otherwise announcing new schemes every other month is of no use. Further, workshops and mobile camps shall be held wherever possible. The data collected was analysed with the help of statistical tools like bar charts and percentages using MS-Excel and for univariate analysis IBM-SPSS 21.0 as used.