The people who work in mountainous area were studied for low back pain and to clarify the relationship between the labor on hill side and the symptom development.
The study performed employing questionnaires about daily life profile and about low back pain, and lumbar spine x-ray examination.
The difference between farmers and non-farmers were specifically looked for.
The labor in season (May-July), and out of season (February) were also compared using diary for low back pain and the symptom development pursued.
The results showed below.
1. Those who developed low back dysfunction were 15-20%. The incidence increased up to 50 to 60% when they were followed for 1 year. There's been no increase in this rate for the past 10 years.
2. Farmers were 66.1% of 127 people, ages between 20 and 69. 81 of them (63.8%) had episodes of low back pain during 1 year period.
3. 50% of those who had low back pain attributed its cause to stooping, bending forward and lifting heavy weights.
4. In males, working hours and low back pain development had relevance. The symptom development in season, and out of season showed no difference.
In females, the workdays had a major influence.
5. The people in their 50s, in whom farmers were predominant, showed high symptom development and the difference between farmers and non-farmers were clearly identified in this age group. But as a whole, farmer or non-farmer, male or female were not determinant factors.
6. Low back pain were attributed to muscle syndromes (39.6%). discogenic low back pain (33.3%), Spondylosis deformance (22.9%), and others (4.2%)

This investigation was carried out for three years (1981-1983) with medical examination and questionair, expecting to estimate the health characteristics of women who live inmountainous rural areas and interisting to find out the difference between farmers and nonfarmers, for 1922 female inhabitants in their 30-60ys as a object.
Obtained main results are:
1) In medical examination which covered 508 (26.2%) in the first year,
a) Incidence of hypertention (WHO criteria) calculated 34.6% and rate of obesity was 24.4%, showing as equal level as usual reports about mountainous area, but each showed nodifference between farmers and non-farmers.
b) Incidence of anemia brought us the most interesting result in which non-farmersgroup showed significantly higher rate three years through.
2) By questionair corresponded 328 (17.1%) in the second year,
a) Of 124 farmers group (37.8% farming rate), only 14 (14.5%) answered able to earn a livelihood chiefly on agricultural income.
b) Low back pain or menstrual disdurbance which were expected to explain some influence of agricultural labor showed no difference between two groups.
These results suggested us, it might be true that non-farners women were more unhealthful than farmers in this corner.

Examination of feces and deworming were carried out five times every other month between May 1962 to February 1963 in 5 communities (a total of 202 households, 1, 050 inhabitants) of Urakawa, Sakumamachi, Shizuoka Prefecture. After about a year has elapsed, in which no countermeasures were taken, examination of feces was carried out again in January 1964 to study a change in the rate of positivity. Examination was carried out by the cellophane thick layer smear method (values obtained with two sheets).
(1) The rate of positivity for Ascaris eggs ranged from 13.7% to 55.1%, with an average of 28.0% in the initial examination. The rate was higher in two commnities in the mountainous district. By sex and age, the rate was high among infants, school boys and adult females.
(2) A study of the change in the rate of positivity during the two years has shown that the rates of reinfection and new infcction were higher in communities where the rate of positivity was higher in the initial examination, indicating how difficult it is to exterminate Ascaris infection. On the contrary, there was no substantial rise in the rate of positivity in communities where the rate of positivity in the initial examination was under 10%(3 out of 5 communities), even though no countermeasures were taken during the period of one year. This seems to show that it is not required to carry out deworming frequently.
It has been found that the rate of Ascaris infection was lower in communities where persons positive for unfertilized eggs alone accounted for higher percentages among the total of persons positive for Ascaris eggs, there being a marked inverse corelation between persons positive for unfertilized eggs alone and persons positive for all kinds of Ascaris eggs. There has been a marked tendency to familial concentration of Ascaris infection.
(3) The results of the present study have shown that, in taking measures to exterminate Ascaris infection, it is necessary to take into consideration the rate of positivity for Ascaris eggs, the ratio of persons positive for unfertilized Ascaris eggs to persons positive for all kinds of Ascaris eggs, and a tendency to familial concentration of infection in the community.