Study of VO2max of agricultural workers for different farm operations

Abstract

The individual’s oxygen uptake i.e. VO2max has been widely used as an index for determining his/her work capacity. An experiment was conducted to assess the VO2max by direct method of ten selected agricultural workers inside laboratory and while performing two different field operations viz., arecanut dehusking operation in pedaling mode and working with spade. The effect of type of operation/activity on VO2max was also studied by statistically comparison. The mean VO2max observed during laboratory measurement (2.56 ± 0.50 l/min) was significantly different from that of observed during dehusking operation in pedaling mode (2.81 ± 0.55 l/min) and working with spade (2.37 ± 0.47). The VO2max was observed to vary for each worker and also with the type of activity he was performing.