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Pulmonary function, respiratory symptoms and associated factors among cotton-ginning workers at Gondar city,
Yonas Derso1, Baye Dagnew2, Yonas Akalu2
1Department of Human Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University P. O. Box 21, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.
Background:
Cotton dust is one of the risk factors for occupational respiratory diseases, a condition characterized by reduced pulmonary function and overwhelming respiratory symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to determine pulmonary function parameters, respiratory symptoms, and associated factors among cotton-ginning workers at Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia.
Methods:
A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 166 (83 cotton-ginning workers and 83 healthy controls) individuals. Simple random sampling and convenience sampling techniques were used to recruit cotton-ginning workers and controls, respectively. Pulmonary function parameters were measured using Spirometer. Data on respiratory symptoms were collected using the Modified American Thoracic Society questionnaire. We used Chi-square (χ2) and independent "t" test to compare the outcome variables between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the associated factors of respiratory symptoms among cotton-ginning workers. The strength of association was determined using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) and statistical significance was decided at P<0.05.
Results:
Cotton-ginning workers had reduced FVC, FVC%, FEV1, FEV1/FVC%, PEFR and FEF25-75%) as compared with controls. The prevalence of overall respiratory symptom was 68.6% (95% CI: 57.8, 77.8) among cotton-ginning workers and 19.2% (95% CI: 12, 29.3) among controls. Females (AOR=5.9, 95% CI: 1.19, 29.9), those with primary and secondary education (AOR=7.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 52), working at ginning department (AOR=9.4, 95% CI 1.6, 53) and pressing department (AOR=8.0, 95% CI: 1.3, 48) and not using personal protective equipment (PPE) (AOR=9.1, 95% CI: 1.8, 45.1) had an increased odds of having respiratory symptoms.
Conclusion:
Reduced pulmonary function parameters and a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms were observed among cotton-ginning workers than controls. This suggests the need to tailor workplace safety measures to prevent occupational respiratory diseases.
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