Working Environment Effects on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate among Traditional Egyptian Bakers | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine | ||
| Article 3, Volume 37, Issue 2, April 2019, Pages 17-26 PDF (409.65 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejcm.2019.30911 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Bakers face various common health problems at their work which may be aggravated when combined with improper awareness of ways of protection. Objective: The current study aimed at determining the most common symptoms encountered by bakers and to compare the peak expiratory flow rates of bakers with a control group. Method: The study included 71 bakers and 120 controls. The participants filled an interview questionnaire containing socio-demographic data as age, marital status, education, occupational background and questions about history of common diseases, body mass index was calculated, and peak expiratory flow rates were measured. Results: The mean expiratory flow rate of bakers was significantly lower than that of the control group. None of the workers reported receiving training to raise their awareness on the types of occupational disorders and methods of prevention. As regard respiratory symptoms, a significant difference was detected between groups regarding chest tightness (P=0.009) and sweating (p=0.03). Multiple logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with abnormal PEFR among bakers. After adjustment of relevant factors (age, BMI, job duration, working hours and workplace characteristics), it was found that exposure to heat in workplace was the independent factor affecting PEFR. Conclusion: The study concluded that bakery workers had various health problems related to the nature of their work and the work environment needed application of safety standards. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| bakery workers; health disorders among bakers; awareness of bakers; heat exposure in bakeries | ||
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