Comparing the health outcomes of consumers and nonconsumers of cooling foods as a heat mitigation coping strategy among South Indian workers.

Abstract

Occupational heat stress is a growing concern, especially among outdoor, physically demanding workers in tropical regions like Tamil Nadu. A total of 1,027 participants in different sectors were surveyed in this cross-sectional study (2024) to determine the effect of low-cost Cooling Foods (CFs) on occupational heat stress. The temperature was measured using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), with a mean of 29.6 °C ± 3.2 °C; approximately 60% of workers were exposed to levels exceeding the Threshold Limit Value (TLVs). The CF consumers experienced much less heat-related illness (HRI), such as excessive sweating and nausea/vomiting. The non-consumers were more likely to be dehydrated (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9) and had a higher core body temperature (AOR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9). CFs are an affordable and available solution to occupational heat stress; additional research is needed to build robust evidence.