Demographic Patterns of Health Problems among Salon Operators in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State

Abstract

The salon environment is a zone where the workers are exposed to numerous hazardous chemicals, physical and ergonomic challenges. Salon operators have been reported to exhibit a lot of respiratory, allergic and systemic symptoms. The study was done to determine the demographic patterns of the health problems using a descriptive cross sectional study. 1,200 salon operators in ten tertiary institutions in Rivers State were selected for the study. Data was collected using a self- structured questionnaire, and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical on the statistical package for social science (SPSS). Alpha level was set at 0.05. The study revealed that health problems were reported among the salon operators with respiratory symptoms of sore throat (grand mean of 3.25) and Chest Pains (3.22) been the most prominent followed by skin conditions (3.13). Age, years of work experience and levels of education have a significant bearing on the health problems. The study concluded that salon operators in tertiary institutions in Rivers State go through a lot of health problems by reason of their profession which have a correlation with age years of work experience and education level. It was therefore recommended that salon operators should be enlightened on the use of personal protective equipment in the workplace.