title: Study of morbidity pattern among salt workers in marakkanam, Tamil Nadu, India.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the morbidity pattern among salt workers in Marakkanam, Tamil Nadu, India.
  
  
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Morbidity among salt workers is high. Intervention programs are needed to alleviate the health problems in the salt workers.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Johnson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Zile
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bazroy
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Anil Jacob
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Purty
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Murugan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Natesan
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Vijay Kantilal
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Chavada
keywords: Musculoskeletal symptoms; Occupational hazards; Outdoor occupation; Work related illness