A Cross-sectional Study to Assess Respiratory, Eye and Ear Health Problems among Traffic Police Personnel in Nashik City

Abstract

Introduction: Health of a person is largely affected by the environment in which they work, thus making occupation an important determinant of health. More than 80% of the global burden of occupational disease is borne by people in the developing countries. The health hazards get more severe when the duration of exposure increases and it is more important in situations among the personnel engaged in traffic duty. Aim: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with respiratory, eye and ear morbidities among traffic police in Nashik city. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, total 196 traffic police of Nashik city between 20-60 years age during February-April 2018 were included. Institutional ethics committee approval, informed consent from participants was taken. A semi-structured interview schedule, clinical examination and clinical tests were used to collect the data. Chi-square test was used for data analysis with the help of SPSS Inc. statistical software for Windows Version 18.0. Results: Most (175; 89.3%) of the traffic police personnel were males and mean age of participants was 40.4 years. Prevalence of respiratory, eye and ear morbidity was 29.6%, 25.0% and 20.4% respectively. Restrictive lung disease (17.9%), was the most common respiratory morbidity. Refractive error (14.8%), was the most common eye morbidity while sensorineural hearing loss (Right ear: 21.6%; Left ear: 4.2%) was the most common ear morbidity. Old age (> 40 years), ≥10 years service duration and presence of co-morbidities (Diabetes, Hypertension etc.,) were significantly associated with respiratory and ear diseases. Eye disease was not associated with any factor studied. Conclusion: The respiratory health problem was the most common morbidity in traffic police. Age (≥40 years) and long service duration were significantly associated with respiratory and ear diseases.

Keywords

• hearing loss
• refractive error
• restrictive lung disease
• traffic policemen