Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure of Women Employed in Small Scale Seafood Processing Units

Abstract

Heart rate is a popular means to determine the degree of physical exertion. Fluctuations in heart rate occur due to changes in breathing rate, blood pressure, hormones, various actions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and emotional states, as well as working postures, environmental influences and health status. This study portrays the heart rate and energy expenditure of women employed in small scale seafood processing units at Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. In these study thirty five women workers were selected for assessment of heart rate. The energy expenditure, minimum, maximum and average heart rate were assessed using S-410 Polar Heart Rate Monitor for the women workers employed in three sections namely peeling, grading and setting. The working heart rate was recorded for a period of two hours. The average heart rate was high for the women workers in peeling section (106.0±7.1 b.min-1) when compared to that of the women workers in grading (94.8±8.6 b.min-1) and setting sections (90.1±7.8 b.min-1). Energy expenditure (2 hours) showed that the women workers in the peeling section expended 15.6±4.1 kj.min-1, while the women working in grading section expended 13.3±3.8 kj.min-1 and the women in setting section expended 8.7±4 kj.min-1