{"title":"A Comparative Study to Explore Static and Dynamic Lung Functions in Users and Non-Users of Air Conditioners in Bengaluru.","authors":"Megha Agrawal, Ms Kusuma Devi","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_280_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_280_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Air conditioners (AC) have become indispensable in the contemporary World. However, their effects on respiratory health need to be explored further using dynamic and static lung functions.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objectives were: 1. To evaluate and compare dynamic parameters (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEFR, and FEF25-75) in AC users and non-users of Bengaluru. 2. To evaluate and compare airway resistance and specific airway conductance as additional parameters.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>After applying ATS-ERS criteria for lung disorders, 30 AC users and non-users of Bengaluru, aged 18-40 yrs were assessed using body plethysmography. A significant association of restrictive pattern was seen in AC users (9 AC users out of 60 participants, Chi-square 8.37, <i>P</i> = 0.0038) having an Odd's ratio of 26.95 (CI: 1.4876 to 488.3558, Z = 2.229, <i>P</i> = 0.0258). Airway resistance (Raw) was comparable in both groups further indicating a non-obstructive pathology.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>AC users had a significant decrease in flow rates (PEFR and FEF25-75) as well as an association with restrictive lung disorder suggesting the need for proper ventilation and hygiene. It is crucial to develop policies to maintain indoor air quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 2","pages":"177-182"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10434799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10424270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among fishermen population in and around Pondicherry, South India - A cross sectional study","authors":"Vandana Sekizhar, G Ezhumalai, C Chanthrakumar","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_255_22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_255_22","url":null,"abstract":"Context: In India fishing is a traditional occupation second only to agriculture. Fishermen are a marginalized group with high levels of occupational stress predisposing them to develop addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and areca nut chewing. These habits are well-established causes of developing oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer. Aims: To determine the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among the fishermen population in and around Pondicherry. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire to assess the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among the fishermen population in and around Pondicherry. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics were used with Pearson’s correlation. Results: The study showed 24.8% of fishermen consumed tobacco, and 7.3% consumed both tobacco and alcohol. Oral potentially malignant disorders were seen in 16.79% of the population. Conclusions: The fishermen had a higher rate of addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and areca nut chewing and a higher prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136005554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Active Case Finding for Tuberculosis among Health Care Workers in a Teaching Hospital, Puducherry, India.","authors":"Sneha Leo, Manju Rajaram, Madhusmita Mohanty Mohapatra, Palanivel Chinnakali, Noyal Mariya Joseph, Mahesh Babu Vemuri","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_342_21","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_342_21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease due to occupational exposure. But there are no national guidelines on routine screening for TB (active case finding (ACF)) among HCWs and understand its implementation and feasibility.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was conducted among HCWs in a teaching hospital in India. We used symptom screening to identify those with presumptive TB and were further evaluated for diagnosis of TB.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1,001 HCWs were screened over a period of 18 months. In our study, 51 (5.1%) HCWs were found to have presumptive TB and on further evaluation, 5 (0.5%) of these patients were diagnosed with active TB. The number needed to screen (NNS) for one active TB among the HCWs was 200. Alcohol use was significantly associated with both presumptive TB (<i>P</i> = 0.037) and active TB (<i>P</i> = 0.035) among HCWs, and exposure to active TB patients (<i>P</i> = 0.014) in the family and workplace and increased frequency of exposures (<i>P</i> = <0.001) were associated with presumptive TB.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ACF for TB among HCWs had a good yield in our study. ACF utilizing routine national TB program guidelines is feasible to be implemented among HCWs to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of TB in this high-risk group.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"42-48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257245/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9620725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Estimation of Fluoride Content in Various Drinking Water Sources Available in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, South India.","authors":"Mitthrashree Vidhyashankar Sanmukapriya, Nathiya Shanmugam","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_142_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_142_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fluoride acts as a key element in dental caries prevention strategy. The consumption of drinking water with adequate fluoride concentration protects the tooth from dental caries.To assess the fluoride level in various drinking water sources available in Coimbatore city. 100 water samples from corporation water, bore-well water and packaged water were randomly collected from five zones of Coimbatore. Fluoride estimation was done by colour comparator technique. The fluoride concentration in bore well water (0.9 ppm) was found to be high when compare to corporation water (0.48 ppm) and bottled water (0.2 ppm). The result obtained from this study stated that the fluoride level was suboptimal in community water and bottled water. Various alternative measures to be taken to artificially fluoridate the drinking water in Coimbatore to have better dental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"89-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257244/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9673648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vidya Ganji, M Kalpana, U Madhusudhan, Nitin Ashok John, Madhuri Taranikanti
{"title":"Impact of Air Conditioners on Sick Building Syndrome, Sickness Absenteeism, and Lung Functions.","authors":"Vidya Ganji, M Kalpana, U Madhusudhan, Nitin Ashok John, Madhuri Taranikanti","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_23_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_23_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Modernization has led to greater usage of Air Conditioners (ACs) in our daily lives. It is observed that the occupants of office buildings with ACs consistently report on average more symptoms than do occupants of office buildings with natural ventilation referred to as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). The appearance of symptoms reduces work efficiency and increases absenteeism due to sickness (sickness absenteeism). Therefore, the present study was planned to evaluate the impact of usage of ACs on SBS and to find out the association of ACs with sickness absenteeism and lung function tests.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This study was conducted on 200 healthy non-smoker adults in the age group of 18 to 45 years who were using ACs for at least 6 to 8 h/day for more than 2 years (group I). And 200 healthy adults, age and gender-matched, with the same work pattern, not using ACs at all served as controls (group II). The basic information on the usage of ACs and the prevalence of discomfort related to neural symptoms, respiratory symptoms, and skin and mucous membrane related to SBS was obtained through a questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The building-related symptoms in group I males were more compared to group II males and significantly higher in group I males compared to females. We observed that the appearance of symptoms of SBS led to sickness absenteeism among group I participants. Lung function tests especially FVC, FEV1, PEFR, and MVV were significantly reduced among group I males and females compared to group II males and females.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ACs have a profound effect on the quality of the air we breathe and on human health than just lowering the temperature. There is a higher prevalence of SBS-Respiratory and allergic symptoms in AC users.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"26-30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257240/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Merve D Atik, Duygu Lüleci, Aylin G Çifci, Gökçen A Demiral, Yücel Demiral
{"title":"Which Jobs are Unlucky against the Biologic and the Economic Risks Caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic?","authors":"Merve D Atik, Duygu Lüleci, Aylin G Çifci, Gökçen A Demiral, Yücel Demiral","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_85_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_85_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Beyond the biological impact of the pandemic in working life, socioeconomic consequences is also important for workers. This study aimed to investigate both biologic and economic impacts of the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional study, a structured questionnaire were applied by telephone to 233 workers who were diagnosed with coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) at hospital. A pretest was applied before the data collection. The outcomes of the study were work-related Covid-19 transmission (WRCT) and pandemic-related economic worsening (PREW). Descriptive statistics is presented. Chi-square test is used in comparison of proportions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 233 workers, 52% were male (<i>n</i> = 120) and the mean age was 37.7 (±9.2) years. WRCT was observed in 73% of health care workers. PREW was 6.7 times higher in private sector (95% confidence interval = 3.1-14.5), especially in self-employed and small business owners. Drivers and sales workers were the unluckiest. Because they were affected in terms of both the WRCT and PREW.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Within the framework of occupational health, the economic destructive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the biological impacts should be considered with a holistic perspective. Protective policies should be developed especially for economically fragile groups against the pandemic such as self-employed, small business owners, and private sector workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"9-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257239/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9673651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Occupational Health in Practice: Heart Rate Profile of the Lathe Machine Workers.","authors":"Alok Ghosh Chaudhuri, Shatabdi Ghosh, Bithin Kumar Maji, Rajib Biswas","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_108_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_108_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Lathe machine work is an important unorganized sector in India. However, to date, no work physiological studies have been conducted among these workers to evaluate the physical strain involved in this work.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The present study aims to determine the workload in different lathe machine tasks from working heart rates (HRs) and certain cardiac indices.</p><p><strong>Settings and design: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 38 full-time male workers aged between 21 and 60 years.</p><p><strong>Methods and materials: </strong>The HR was measured directly during the productive work phase, additional work phase, and work pauses. Two cardiac strain indices, viz., net cardiac cost and relative cardiac cost were derived. The workload was also judged according to some standard acceptable criteria of physical strain.</p><p><strong>Statistical analysis used: </strong>Mean and standard deviation were obtained for different categories of HR. Intergroup comparisons were conducted through one-way analysis of variance and the <i>t</i>-test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean working HR was found to be 99 beats per minute. A maximal working HR of 105 ± 6.1 beats per minute with a corresponding relative cardiac cost of 26% was obtained during the additional work phase.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The overall workload appeared to be moderate in nature. An acceptable criterion of cardiac cost of 30% appeared to be the most sensitive index in detecting workers experiencing a higher level of physical strain.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"31-37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257238/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9620718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tobacco use and Oral Premalignant Lesions among Auto-Rickshaw Drivers in Belagavi, North Karnataka.","authors":"Amaresh P Patil, S Yogeshkumar","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_163_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_163_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Auto-rickshaw drivers (ARDs) are under constant physical and mental pressure due to illiteracy, poverty, lack of awareness about hazards of addictions, and other factors that lead to various habits majority being tobacco use. Studies have found that tobacco use is very prevalent among ARDs in comparison to general population. Tobacco use is commonly associated with cancers. Oral Pre-Malignant Lesions (OPMLs) are the strongest risk factor for majority of oral cancers. We studied the prevalence of OPML among ARDs of Belagavi and their association with tobacco use.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>It was a cross-sectional study conducted among 600 regular ARDs of Belagavi City during January to December 2016. We selected two ARDs that were the last in line from 300 major auto-rickshaw stands. We adapted the questionnaire from Global Adult Tobacco Survey questionnaire. After getting informed consent, we collected the data by personal interview and performed an oral visual examination for OPML for all the study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Institutional Ethics Committee approved the study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Prevalence of tobacco was 62.17%. One-third of participants (30.17%) had OPMLs. Leukoplakia (62.43%) was the most common lesion. OPMLs were significantly associated with tobacco use and duration of tobacco use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>About 30% of ARDs had an OPML. Chewing tobacco, gutkha, lime with tobacco, and cigarette were significantly associated with OPML.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"79-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strategies of Iranian Psychiatric Nurses to Deal with Moral Distress.","authors":"Nahid Tavakol, Zahra Molazem, Mahnaz Rakhshan, Omid Asemani","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_172_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_172_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Moral distress is a common phenomenon in nurses that causes feelings of anger, fatigue, reduced quality of patient care, and leaving the nursing profession. To reduce the negative effects of this phenomenon, it is necessary to study the strategies and mechanisms to deal with it.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>It has been less studied in psychiatric nurses, so this study was conducted to investigate the mechanisms and strategies of psychiatric nurses in dealing with situations of moral distress.</p><p><strong>Settings and design: </strong>This qualitative study was conducted based on a conventional content analysis of 12 psychiatric nurses selected by a purposive sampling method in the 2020 winter in Shiraz, Iran, considering the maximum diversity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants for an average of 40-60 minutes per interview until data saturation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We obtained strategies for dealing with moral distress in psychiatric nurses in four categories. The categories included \"Coping strategies,\" \"Establish therapeutic and professional communication,\" \"Managerial support for nurses,\" and \"Commitment to religious beliefs.\"</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Psychiatric nurses use personal, team, and management strategies to reduce moral distress in themselves and their colleagues and reduce its adverse effects on patients. Management support and organizational cooperation are necessary for the better implementation of these strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"67-72"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257247/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9620719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolic syndrome among female school teachers: A sedentary occupational sector","authors":"SarahJane Monica, Sheila John, R Madhanagopal","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_261_22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_261_22","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, and abdominal obesity are important determinants of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Ample studies provide statistical data on the prevalence of MetS among the general public. Conversely, there is a paucity of data on the risk of MetS among different sedentary occupational groups. Objective: To assess the risk of MetS among female school teachers and to identify factors contributing to MetS. Methodology: The study was conducted among 256 female school teachers residing in Chennai city. A questionnaire was used to elicit information on the socio-demographic profile, diet pattern, physical fitness, and genetic history of lifestyle diseases. Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical parameters were measured using standard methods. MetS was diagnosed using the harmonizing definition. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Results: Results evince that 39.45% of female school teachers were diagnosed with MetS, of which 26.56% had three components, 9.77% had four components, and 3.12% had all components of MetS. Abdominal obesity (99%) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (96.04%) were the most predominant components. The least common component was diastolic hypertension (32.67%). MetS components were high among school teachers aged 36–45 years and 46–55 years. Age, fasting hyperglycemia, paternal history of hypertension, physical inactivity, eating out, and consumption of refined cereals significantly contributed to MetS (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Results highlight the need to identify high-risk individuals and promote a healthy lifestyle through various intervention programs.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136008206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}