Respiratory problems among workers at a cement factory in Beni Suef city / Eman Sayied Eweas Mohamed ; Supervised Soheir Ali Bader Eldin , Noha Ahmed Mohamed

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Nursing - Department of Community Health Nursing

Respiratory problems represent one of the most leading causes for morbidity and mortality worldwide. Occupational agents are one of the major and most important modifiable risk factors for these problems. The aim of this study was to assess the respiratory problems among workers at a cement factory in Beni Suef city and to study risk factors of respiratory problems among the workers. A descriptive exploratory research design was utilized in this study. The study was conducted at Misr Beni Suef cement factory, Beni Suef city. A convenience sample was used, and it is composed of 150 workers. Three tools were utilized; first: an interviewing questionnaire composed of 3 parts; a- personal data, b- occupational history and c- medical history, second: respiratory symptoms questionnaire, third: Environmental health checklist. Results indicated that the percentage of respiratory problems among studied workers distributed as follow; 37.3% of them suffered from cough, followed by 35.3%, phlegm, 32.7% breathlessness, 30.7% wheezes, 28.7% chest tightness, and 26.7% of workers represented with runny itchy nose, whereas chronic bronchitis was reported by 22.0% of the workers. This study concluded that advancing age, duration of exposure, smoking habits, level of education, and poor compliance in using protective equipments and attending training courses, poor ventilation in the workplace and exposure to environmental pollutants seen as major factors affecting the prevalence of respiratory problems

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