Study of morbidity pattern among salt workers in marakkanam, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Salt workers are exposed to occupational hazards like contact with salt crystals and brine, physical stress, sunlight and glare due to sunlight reflected by salt crystals. Very few studies have documented the morbidity among the salt workers.

Aim: To assess the morbidity pattern among salt workers in Marakkanam, Tamil Nadu, India.

Materials and methods: A community based cross-sectional study was undertaken in 4 randomly selected salt worker villages. Three hundred thirty one salt workers were reached by a house-to-house survey during April 2010 to March 2011. Demographic data was collected; clinical examination was conducted using a predesigned and pretested questionnaire. A pilot study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of morbidity before initiating the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS Version 11.5. Chi-square test and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to determine the association of morbidity levels with various factors.

Results: Of the 331 salt workers in the study, 58% were females, mean age was 41.9 ± 10.8 y. Eighty seven percent salt workers had some or other morbidity. The observed morbidities include clinical pallor (44.4%), ocular morbidities including cataract, pterygium, conjunctivitis, pingecula and corneal ulcer (42%), caries teeth (41.7%), hypertension (23.3%), underweight (19.3%), goiter (19%), obesity (14.8%) and dermal conditions including dermatitis, thickening of palm and sole, tinea unguum, follicultitis (9.1%). The presence of morbidity did not show any significant association with increase in age, gender, duration of employment or the type of salt work involved with. However, the lower the education level, the higher is the morbidity level among salt workers (OR = 5.23, 95% CI= 2.07 to 13.21).

Conclusion: Morbidity among salt workers is high. Intervention programs are needed to alleviate the health problems in the salt workers.