ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study aimed to examine farmers' knowledge, awareness, practices... more ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study aimed to examine farmers' knowledge, awareness, practices regarding pesticide use, and prevalence of health symptoms related to pesticides exposure among farmers who applied organophosphates (OP) and pyrethroids (PY).MethodsData regarding demographic variables and health symptoms pertinent to pesticide use was collected from 67 farmers who applied OP and 50 farmers who applied PY using interviews from January to March 2021.ResultsThe farmers who applied OP had lower knowledge, awareness, and prevention practices regarding pesticide use than those who applied PY. After adjustment of covariate variables, the farmers who applied OP had a significantly higher prevalence of respiratory conditions (OR = 8.29 for chest pain, OR = 6.98 for chest tightness, OR = 27.54 for dry throat, and OR = 5.91 for cough), neurological symptoms (OR = 10.62 for fatigue and OR = 6.76 for paresthesia), and neurobehavioral symptoms (OR = 13.84 for poor concentration, OR...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Wildland firefighting is a high-risk occupation. The level of cardiopulmonary fitness can indicat... more Wildland firefighting is a high-risk occupation. The level of cardiopulmonary fitness can indicate whether wildland firefighters are ready to perform their job duties. This study’s objective was to determine wildland firefighters’ cardiopulmonary fitness using practical methods. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to enroll all 610 active wildland firefighters in Chiang Mai. The participants’ cardiopulmonary fitness was assessed using an EKG, a chest X-ray, a spirometry test, a global physical activity questionnaire, and the Thai score-based cardiovascular risk assessment. The NFPA 1582 was used to determine “fitness” and “job restriction”. Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare cardiopulmonary parameters. With a response rate of 10.16%, only eight wildland firefighters met the cardiopulmonary fitness requirements. Eighty-seven percent of participants were in the job-restriction group. An aerobic threshold of eight METs, an abnormal EKG, an intermed...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Shiftwork is related to an increased risk of several diseases, including gastric ulcers, myocardi... more Shiftwork is related to an increased risk of several diseases, including gastric ulcers, myocardial infarction, and diabetes. Several shiftwork patterns are related to poor sleep quality, such as a quick returns or extended shifts. This study aimed to find the shiftwork patterns strongly associated with poor sleep quality amongst nurses. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among nurses working for at least one month. The sub-groups were the good sleep quality group (n = 150) and the poor sleep quality group (n = 472). Eligible participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire comprising personal characteristics, job characteristics, shiftwork characteristics, and sleep quality. Factors associated with poor sleep quality were determined using logistic regression analysis. Two factors associated with poor sleep quality remained in the final model: viz., depression and backward rotational shift. The only independent factor for poor sleep quality was a backw...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 respirators were commonly used in many situations. Respiratory ... more During the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 respirators were commonly used in many situations. Respiratory problems from prolonged use of respirators were discussed in many studies, which show varied results. From the inconclusive results, the current systematic review and meta-analysis discerned the effects of the N95 respirator by assessing the oxygen and carbon dioxide changes in both high- and low-to-moderate-intensity physical activities in a healthy population. Thirteen studies were identified for inclusion in the study. In high-intensity physical activities, our meta-analysis showed borderline lower oxygen saturation and higher carbon dioxide partial pressure, but oxygen saturation did not change in low-to-moderate physical activity. The use of N95 respirators could statistically affect the physiologic changes of carbon dioxide and oxygen in high-intensity physical activity among healthy participants, but this may not be clinically significant. Some users who have certain health condit...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, computer vision syndrome (CVS) related to online classrooms were un... more During the COVID-19 pandemic, computer vision syndrome (CVS) related to online classrooms were unavoidable. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the prevalence, characteristics and associated factors of CVS. A total of 527 students who were currently studying in a virtual classroom (70.40% female, mean (standard deviation; SD) age of 20.04 (2.17) years) were included. The prevalence of CVS assessed by an online CVS-Questionnaire was 81.0% (427/527). Comparing with those in the period before the online study, an increase in screen time (interquartile range) in students with and without CVS was 3 (0–3) and 2 (1–5) h, respectively. Overall, 516 students (97.9%) experienced at least one symptom. The most frequent symptom in CVS subjects was eye pain (96.5%). The most intense symptoms were the feeling of worsening eyesight (15.9%). The factors associated with CVS were female (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.010), atopic diseases (p = 0.020), prior ocular symptoms (p < 0.001), astigma...
Objectives To explore differences in pulmonary functions, respiratory symptoms and related factor... more Objectives To explore differences in pulmonary functions, respiratory symptoms and related factors among public commercial drivers between periods of high and low air pollution. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study comparing the same individuals during periods of high and low air pollution was conducted using spirometry and a self-administered questionnaire which included respiratory symptoms, personal factors, work-related factors and personal personal health data. Air pollution data were collected from reports of the Pollution Control Department. The statistic tests used were the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar’s test. Results Among the 49 subjects included in both periods (with one outlier removed), differences were found in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) between periods of high and low air pollution (p = 0.030 and 0.042, respectively). Closing windows, wearing more respiratory protection, having no extra work and reducing exposure ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 2019
This study was aimed to explore shiftwork patterns and health status among nurses at a university... more This study was aimed to explore shiftwork patterns and health status among nurses at a university hospital in northeastern Thailand. A descriptive study was conducted. The study population was 1,221. The data were collected via self-reported questionnaire including personal information and the last month shift schedule. Descriptive statistics were applied using STATA v 10. The response rate was 68.1 % (831/1,221) and completion rate was 59.1% (721/1,221). There were 82.2% (593/721) participants had performed shiftwork. The shiftwork patterns were (a) day shift plus over time, (b) day and evening shift, (c) day and night shift, and (d) rotational shift. All of rotational shift were fast rotation with irregular shift pattern (n=531; 89.5%). Even though there was no pure forward or backward rotations, the researcher divided the participants into three groups (namely, primarily forward, primarily backward, and evenly split between backward and forward). Most shift workers performed prim...
Background COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide problem. Vaccination as primary prevention is necessa... more Background COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide problem. Vaccination as primary prevention is necessary. Thailand is in the initial phase of the vaccination program. However, the demand for this vaccine among Thais and expatriates living in Thailand is still unknown. This study aims to assess acceptance, attitude, and determinants for COVID-19 vaccination among Thai people and expatriates living in Thailand. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Thailand during May 2021. An online survey (REDcap) was distributed through online social media platforms. Adult (>18 years old) Thai and expatriates living in Thailand were invited. Any person who already received any COVID-19 vaccine was excluded from this study. Result One thousand sixty-six responses were collected in this survey. A total of 959 were available for analysis. Six hundred thirty-seven 637 responses were from Thais and 322 responses from expatriates living in Thailand. The acceptance rate was significantly higher among expatriates than local people (57.8% vs 41.8%, p-value <0.001). The acceptance rate increased up to 89.0-91.3% if they could select the vaccine brand, and 80.7-83.2% when they were recommended by the health care professionals. Both groups had a similar mean attitude score toward COVID-19 vaccination. Being Thai, health care worker, good compliance to social distancing, accepting serious side effects at level 1 per 100,000, and having a good attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination were associated with vaccine acceptance. Conclusion Thailand's COVID-19 vaccination program could improve the acceptance rate by informing the public about vaccine efficacy, vaccine benefit, and vaccine safety. Moreover, supplying free of charge high efficacy alternative vaccines and letting all people living in Thailand make their own vaccine choices could increase the acceptance rate.
IntroductionShift work associated with many health problems, work performance and injury. Disturb... more IntroductionShift work associated with many health problems, work performance and injury. Disturbance of sleep quality is the main mechanism of shift work effects. Nurses are at risk of many occupational hazards and also shift work. The information about shiftwork and the association of sleep quality amongst nurses of Thailand is still limit.ObjectiveTo study the association of shift work and quality of sleep and which pattern has highest risk of poor quality of sleep amongst nurses in university hospital in Northeastern region of Thailand.Material and methodOne thousand and one hundred nurses were met inclusion and exclusion criteria with 75.5%(n=831) participation rate. The data was collected via questionnaire including personal information, shift schedule, depression screening questionnaire, obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaire and sleep quality questionnaire (PSQI). Cross-sectional analytical study was conducted.ResultAll patterns of shift work amongst sample were irr...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe the medical condition in which people i... more Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe the medical condition in which people in a building suffer from symptoms of illnesses for no apparent reason. SBS was found to be associated with indoor air quality (IAQ) but there are a variety of determinants (buildings, in particular). Identifying and controlling factors related to SBS is crucial for improving worker health and efficiency. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate (1) the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and skin SBS and (2) their associations with IAQ among office workers in administrative offices in an academic medical institute. A self-reporting questionnaire assessing the worker’s characteristics, working conditions, and perception of working environments was used. The building assessment was via a walk-through survey and IAQ measurement. Of 290 office workers, 261 (90%) in 25 offices of 11 buildings took part in the survey. The highest prevalence of SBS was nasal symptoms (25.3%). We foun...
ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study aimed to examine farmers' knowledge, awareness, practices... more ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study aimed to examine farmers' knowledge, awareness, practices regarding pesticide use, and prevalence of health symptoms related to pesticides exposure among farmers who applied organophosphates (OP) and pyrethroids (PY).MethodsData regarding demographic variables and health symptoms pertinent to pesticide use was collected from 67 farmers who applied OP and 50 farmers who applied PY using interviews from January to March 2021.ResultsThe farmers who applied OP had lower knowledge, awareness, and prevention practices regarding pesticide use than those who applied PY. After adjustment of covariate variables, the farmers who applied OP had a significantly higher prevalence of respiratory conditions (OR = 8.29 for chest pain, OR = 6.98 for chest tightness, OR = 27.54 for dry throat, and OR = 5.91 for cough), neurological symptoms (OR = 10.62 for fatigue and OR = 6.76 for paresthesia), and neurobehavioral symptoms (OR = 13.84 for poor concentration, OR...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Wildland firefighting is a high-risk occupation. The level of cardiopulmonary fitness can indicat... more Wildland firefighting is a high-risk occupation. The level of cardiopulmonary fitness can indicate whether wildland firefighters are ready to perform their job duties. This study’s objective was to determine wildland firefighters’ cardiopulmonary fitness using practical methods. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to enroll all 610 active wildland firefighters in Chiang Mai. The participants’ cardiopulmonary fitness was assessed using an EKG, a chest X-ray, a spirometry test, a global physical activity questionnaire, and the Thai score-based cardiovascular risk assessment. The NFPA 1582 was used to determine “fitness” and “job restriction”. Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare cardiopulmonary parameters. With a response rate of 10.16%, only eight wildland firefighters met the cardiopulmonary fitness requirements. Eighty-seven percent of participants were in the job-restriction group. An aerobic threshold of eight METs, an abnormal EKG, an intermed...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Shiftwork is related to an increased risk of several diseases, including gastric ulcers, myocardi... more Shiftwork is related to an increased risk of several diseases, including gastric ulcers, myocardial infarction, and diabetes. Several shiftwork patterns are related to poor sleep quality, such as a quick returns or extended shifts. This study aimed to find the shiftwork patterns strongly associated with poor sleep quality amongst nurses. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among nurses working for at least one month. The sub-groups were the good sleep quality group (n = 150) and the poor sleep quality group (n = 472). Eligible participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire comprising personal characteristics, job characteristics, shiftwork characteristics, and sleep quality. Factors associated with poor sleep quality were determined using logistic regression analysis. Two factors associated with poor sleep quality remained in the final model: viz., depression and backward rotational shift. The only independent factor for poor sleep quality was a backw...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 respirators were commonly used in many situations. Respiratory ... more During the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 respirators were commonly used in many situations. Respiratory problems from prolonged use of respirators were discussed in many studies, which show varied results. From the inconclusive results, the current systematic review and meta-analysis discerned the effects of the N95 respirator by assessing the oxygen and carbon dioxide changes in both high- and low-to-moderate-intensity physical activities in a healthy population. Thirteen studies were identified for inclusion in the study. In high-intensity physical activities, our meta-analysis showed borderline lower oxygen saturation and higher carbon dioxide partial pressure, but oxygen saturation did not change in low-to-moderate physical activity. The use of N95 respirators could statistically affect the physiologic changes of carbon dioxide and oxygen in high-intensity physical activity among healthy participants, but this may not be clinically significant. Some users who have certain health condit...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, computer vision syndrome (CVS) related to online classrooms were un... more During the COVID-19 pandemic, computer vision syndrome (CVS) related to online classrooms were unavoidable. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the prevalence, characteristics and associated factors of CVS. A total of 527 students who were currently studying in a virtual classroom (70.40% female, mean (standard deviation; SD) age of 20.04 (2.17) years) were included. The prevalence of CVS assessed by an online CVS-Questionnaire was 81.0% (427/527). Comparing with those in the period before the online study, an increase in screen time (interquartile range) in students with and without CVS was 3 (0–3) and 2 (1–5) h, respectively. Overall, 516 students (97.9%) experienced at least one symptom. The most frequent symptom in CVS subjects was eye pain (96.5%). The most intense symptoms were the feeling of worsening eyesight (15.9%). The factors associated with CVS were female (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.010), atopic diseases (p = 0.020), prior ocular symptoms (p < 0.001), astigma...
Objectives To explore differences in pulmonary functions, respiratory symptoms and related factor... more Objectives To explore differences in pulmonary functions, respiratory symptoms and related factors among public commercial drivers between periods of high and low air pollution. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study comparing the same individuals during periods of high and low air pollution was conducted using spirometry and a self-administered questionnaire which included respiratory symptoms, personal factors, work-related factors and personal personal health data. Air pollution data were collected from reports of the Pollution Control Department. The statistic tests used were the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar’s test. Results Among the 49 subjects included in both periods (with one outlier removed), differences were found in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) between periods of high and low air pollution (p = 0.030 and 0.042, respectively). Closing windows, wearing more respiratory protection, having no extra work and reducing exposure ...
Asia-Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 2019
This study was aimed to explore shiftwork patterns and health status among nurses at a university... more This study was aimed to explore shiftwork patterns and health status among nurses at a university hospital in northeastern Thailand. A descriptive study was conducted. The study population was 1,221. The data were collected via self-reported questionnaire including personal information and the last month shift schedule. Descriptive statistics were applied using STATA v 10. The response rate was 68.1 % (831/1,221) and completion rate was 59.1% (721/1,221). There were 82.2% (593/721) participants had performed shiftwork. The shiftwork patterns were (a) day shift plus over time, (b) day and evening shift, (c) day and night shift, and (d) rotational shift. All of rotational shift were fast rotation with irregular shift pattern (n=531; 89.5%). Even though there was no pure forward or backward rotations, the researcher divided the participants into three groups (namely, primarily forward, primarily backward, and evenly split between backward and forward). Most shift workers performed prim...
Background COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide problem. Vaccination as primary prevention is necessa... more Background COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide problem. Vaccination as primary prevention is necessary. Thailand is in the initial phase of the vaccination program. However, the demand for this vaccine among Thais and expatriates living in Thailand is still unknown. This study aims to assess acceptance, attitude, and determinants for COVID-19 vaccination among Thai people and expatriates living in Thailand. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Thailand during May 2021. An online survey (REDcap) was distributed through online social media platforms. Adult (>18 years old) Thai and expatriates living in Thailand were invited. Any person who already received any COVID-19 vaccine was excluded from this study. Result One thousand sixty-six responses were collected in this survey. A total of 959 were available for analysis. Six hundred thirty-seven 637 responses were from Thais and 322 responses from expatriates living in Thailand. The acceptance rate was significantly higher among expatriates than local people (57.8% vs 41.8%, p-value <0.001). The acceptance rate increased up to 89.0-91.3% if they could select the vaccine brand, and 80.7-83.2% when they were recommended by the health care professionals. Both groups had a similar mean attitude score toward COVID-19 vaccination. Being Thai, health care worker, good compliance to social distancing, accepting serious side effects at level 1 per 100,000, and having a good attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination were associated with vaccine acceptance. Conclusion Thailand's COVID-19 vaccination program could improve the acceptance rate by informing the public about vaccine efficacy, vaccine benefit, and vaccine safety. Moreover, supplying free of charge high efficacy alternative vaccines and letting all people living in Thailand make their own vaccine choices could increase the acceptance rate.
IntroductionShift work associated with many health problems, work performance and injury. Disturb... more IntroductionShift work associated with many health problems, work performance and injury. Disturbance of sleep quality is the main mechanism of shift work effects. Nurses are at risk of many occupational hazards and also shift work. The information about shiftwork and the association of sleep quality amongst nurses of Thailand is still limit.ObjectiveTo study the association of shift work and quality of sleep and which pattern has highest risk of poor quality of sleep amongst nurses in university hospital in Northeastern region of Thailand.Material and methodOne thousand and one hundred nurses were met inclusion and exclusion criteria with 75.5%(n=831) participation rate. The data was collected via questionnaire including personal information, shift schedule, depression screening questionnaire, obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaire and sleep quality questionnaire (PSQI). Cross-sectional analytical study was conducted.ResultAll patterns of shift work amongst sample were irr...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe the medical condition in which people i... more Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe the medical condition in which people in a building suffer from symptoms of illnesses for no apparent reason. SBS was found to be associated with indoor air quality (IAQ) but there are a variety of determinants (buildings, in particular). Identifying and controlling factors related to SBS is crucial for improving worker health and efficiency. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate (1) the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and skin SBS and (2) their associations with IAQ among office workers in administrative offices in an academic medical institute. A self-reporting questionnaire assessing the worker’s characteristics, working conditions, and perception of working environments was used. The building assessment was via a walk-through survey and IAQ measurement. Of 290 office workers, 261 (90%) in 25 offices of 11 buildings took part in the survey. The highest prevalence of SBS was nasal symptoms (25.3%). We foun...
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