DOI: N/A
Akther A, Foyzunnahar M, Sattar S
Background: Occupational exposure to jute dust and airborne contaminants is a health concern in low-resource settings where workplace safety practices are inadequate. This study assessed the prevalence of respiratory problems and associated factors among jute mill workers in Bangladesh.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 among 323 workers at Janata Jute Mills Ltd. in Narsingdi, Bangladesh. Workers aged 18 years or older with at least one year of job experience were included. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire covering socio-demographic, behavioral and work-related characteristics, along with respiratory symptoms. Respiratory problems were defined as the presence of at least one of the following symptoms: cough, phlegm, wheezing, breathlessness, or chest tightness. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for analysis, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: In this study, more than one-third (38.4%) of workers reported at least one respiratory problem. The most common symptoms were cough (26.6%), breathlessness (25.1%), chest tightness (22.0%), phlegm (17.3%) and wheezing (12.1%). Many symptomatic workers reported symptom duration of more than 6 weeks. Respiratory problems were significantly associated with age (p=0.048), educational status (p=0.020), smoking habit (p=0.035) and tobacco chewing (p=0.003). No significant association was observed for gender, work experience, working section, overtime work, overtime duration, or personal protective equipment use. Notably, more than half (62.2%) of workers reported not using personal protective equipment or face masks.
Conclusions: Respiratory problems were common among jute mill workers. The findings suggest that occupational exposure and behavioral factors contribute to poor respiratory health. Improved dust control, health screening, worker education, protective equipment use and tobacco cessation support are needed to reduce respiratory morbidity in this population.