Iron status is associated with worker productivity, independent of physical effort in Indian tea estate workers

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world, affecting roughly 40% of women in non-industrialized countries. Iron is the essential element in hemoglobin, the major carrier of blood oxygen and oxidative metabolism that supports physical and cognitive performance. The relationship between iron and physical work capacity suggests that iron deficient individuals could experience reduced work output. Participants were 138 experienced tea pluckers aged 18-55 years from the Panighatta Tea Estate in Darjeeling District of northern West Bengal, India. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor were measured from venous blood. Energy expenditure was estimated from accelerometry and heart rate, and plucking productivity was measured as amount of tea plucked during the morning work session when temperature and rainfall conditions are optimal. At a given level of energy expenditure, iron deficient, anemic, and iron deficient anemic women plucked less tea during a 3-hour period. The results warrant further research as to whether interventions providing supplemental iron might improve worker productivity and work efficiency. Further study should examine evidence of economic incentives for policies and programs targeting nutritional deficiencies.
 Novelty points: 
 • Anemia predicts up to 2.02 kg (9.1%) less tea plucked per 3 hours, or 4.0% lower wage per 3 hours, compared to non-anemic women, controlling for physical effort.
 • An increase of 1.0 g/L in hemoglobin concentration predicts 0.71 kg (3.3%) more tea plucked over 3 hours
 • An increase of 1.0 g/L in hemoglobin concentration predicts a 1.6% wage increase

Faktor Risiko Terkait Anemia Pada Pekerja Industri Makanan

“…Hasil penelitian pada pekerja di Indonesia menunjukkan anemia cukup tinggi terutama pada pekerja perempuan. Anemia dapat menurunkan produktivitas tenaga kerja, menghambat keberlangsungan kegiatan usaha dan tentunya mempengaruhi pembangunan ekonomi dan kesejahteraan masyarakat (Blakstad et al, 2020). Marice ( 2009) melaporkan bahwa diantara 943 pekerja, tingkat anemia anemia pada pekerja lakilaki sejumlah 5.6% (36 orang) dan pekerja perempuan 32.1% (97 orang).…”

Effect of Anemia on Work Productivity in Both Labor- and Nonlabor-Intensive Occupations: A Systematic Narrative Synthesis

“…Namely, authors found that an increase of 1.0 g/L in Hb concentration predicted 0.71 kg (3.3%) more tea plucked over 3 hours, providing additional affirmative evidence to support our own conclusions. 21…”

“…Namely, authors found that an increase of 1.0 g/L in Hb concentration predicted 0.71 kg (3.3%) more tea plucked over 3 hours, providing additional affirmative evidence to support our own conclusions. 21 Interestingly, strong positive associations were also found between Hb levels and the quantity of active work time, assessed directly or as a function of worker absenteeism. This suggests that anemia may not only result in greater worker fatigue but may also be implicated in more severe comorbidities which can interfere with one's ability to attend work regularly-a potential representation of the far-reaching consequences of anemia for employee health.…”

Effect of Allium spices (garlic and onion) on the bioaccessibility of iron from Moringa oleifera leaves

“…In adults, iron deficiency leads to reduced physical capacity and productivity (Blakstad et al., 2020 ). Severe anemia is responsible for 20% of maternal deaths (Teshome et al., 2020 ) and increases the risk of fetal morbidity and mortality, as well as prematurity and low birth weight (Rocha et al., 2021 ).…”