DISEASE AND MORTALITY PATTERN AMONG RURAL POPULATION OF JAGADHRI, DISTRICT YAMUNANAGAR, HARYANA, INDIA

This study was conducted to assess the influence of foundry exposure on rural population of Jagadhri, district Yamunanagar, Haryana, India. For this purpose, mortality data of 10 years was studied from the official record (2001-10) of Christian Hospital Jagadhri, Haryana. In addition to this, five years mortality data from the Community Centre Chholi (a village in Jagadhri tehsil) was recorded. Data were collected in the month of November 2010 and was statically analyzed and presented in the form of tables. After analyzing the record, it was found that cardiac arrest and respiratory distress appeared to be the major mortality factor among men and women. Cardiac arrest was more prevalent in males, while respiratory distress was higher in females. The high incidence of respiratory distress leading to mortality may be due to air pollution in the area because of cropping practices, dust, and smoke. It was seen that poor families used firewood and cow dung cakes for cooking, which are smoke emitting fuels. These two conditions accounted for 74% of the mortality in women and 60% mortality in men over the period of 10 years. This study offers a platform for further socioeconomic class studies on the micro-community level that focus upon mortality pattern using a comparative approach.