Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology
Volume:10 Issue: 3, Summer 2021

A fundamental duty of the immune system is to defend against infectious agents. Significant abnormalities were reported in immune parameters of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients. In this study, we aim to assess various quantities of antibodies against the tetanus toxin (anti-TT) in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients. 

Anti-TT levels were measured in serum samples from 50 hypothyroid patients, 50 hyperthyroid patients, and 50 euthyroid individuals, using the ELISA method. Besides, the minimum protective quantity of anti-TT was considered 0.1 IU/mL.

Seroprotective rates against tetanus were 100, 80, and 96.0 % in euthyroid, hypothyroid, and hyperthyroid groups with the means of 3.52 ± 0.31, 1.62 ± 0.21, and 4.07 ± 0.32 IU/ml, respectively. Accordingly, hypothyroid patients exhibited lower anti-TT levels and seroprotective rates than the euthyroid group (P < 0.001 and P<0.004, respectively). Besides, in the hypothyroid group, anti-TT quantities and seroprotective rates were lower than those in hyperthyroid individuals (P < 0.001 and P < 0.03, respectively).

The findings demonstrated lower immunity and higher susceptibility to tetanus in patients with hypothyroidism. However, more studies are needed to be conducted in this field to provide more data to be considered in health programs.

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is developed by a combination of several risk factors, which can increase the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MetS and its associated factors among Cotonou Port workers.

This cross-sectional study was conducted for descriptive and analytical purposes. The administration of the questionnaire was inspired by WHO STEPS, with biological examinations performed. MetS was selected according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The data were analyzed using R 3.6.1 software. Besides, a univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine MetS-associated factors.

Our study population consisted of a total of 349 workers aged 23 to 64 years. Besides, the prevalence of MetS was 18.1%. The most common features of the workers were blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg (92.1%) followed by abdominal obesity (76.3%) and glycemia ≥ 1 g/l (65.1%). After multivariate analysis, factors associated with MetS included age > 50 years (ORa = 3.97 CI95% [1.71 – 9.36], p=0.006), alcoholism (ORa = 2.05; CI95% [1.07 - 4.15], p=0.031), family history of hypertension (ORa = 2.08; CI95% [1.11 - 4.01], p=0.022) , overweight (ORa = 4.87 CI95% [2.10 - 12.75], p=0.001) and obesity (ORa = 5.80 CI95% [2.42 - 15.59], p= 0.001).

The MetS frequency is high among Cotonou Port workers. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify the related risks to take adequate preventive measures and to promote the workers' health.

Information about the refugees' experiences in the health care system is needed to improve the quality of health care delivered. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of Communication Apprehension (CA) and Fear of Physician (FoP) in the Afghan refugee women referred to the Iranian health care clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 in Rafsanjan, Iran.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted between March-July 2020, two hundred forty Afghan women in Rafsanjan, Iran, were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection included the demographic, Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24: score range of 24-120), and Fear of Physician (FoP: score range of 5-20) questionnaires. Data were analyzed using an Independent t-test, as well as ANOVA, Chi-square, and Fisher exact tests. The significance level was p<0.05.

The mean age of the participants was 28.81 ± 7.21 years old, and their ages ranged from 16 to 60; further, 97.9% of them were married. Based on the results, the overall mean score of PRCA was 67.07±15.68. Moderate to severe communication apprehension was revealed in 199 participants (82.9%), while 235 participants (97.9%) had moderate to severe fear of physician.

Although many factors could contribute to CA and FoP, as the COVID pandemic had just spread and fear of this unknown virus was at its very peak during this study, the researchers assume that the high rate of CA and FoP level could be related to the COVID pandemic. It is suggested that educational workshops should be held for medical care providers to prevent further communication problems.

Given the global emergency for COVID-19 infections, only Working-based Individual Protective Behaviors (WIPB) such as health behaviors are emphasized as the most important obstacle in spreading the disease. This study aimed to determine the effect of WIPB on COVID-19 mortality.

This case-control study was conducted on 3088 people (case=1955, control=1133) of the northwest of Iran, Ardabil. Data for infected society people as a case group was collected from medical records retrospectively, and for the control group (noninfected) was obtained from the comprehensive health care system. A designed questionnaire was used to identify WIPB in the Ardabil population during the COVID-19 epidemic. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used in STATA version 16.

The results showed that most patients with COVID-19 in the control group belonged to the Unemployed/Housewives occupational group (27.6%), and the lowest was related to the police officers (2.2%) and transport workers (2.3%). There was a significant difference between groups in terms of sociodemographic factors (p<0.001). Inpatients had used masks, gloves, and disinfectants in the last 14 days by 66.2%, 35.3%, and 44.1%, respectively. There was a significant difference between case and control groups in terms of using a mask (p=0.004), contacting, traveling, and participating in public gatherings (p<0.001).

By increasing WIPBs and teaching how to properly observe such behaviors, including the proper use of masks, disinfectants, and gloves in society, as well as intensifying quarantine by preventing gatherings, the incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 can be reduced.

According to recent reports during the COVID-19 pandemic, malaria-endemic regions have a significantly lower COVID-19 case and mortality rate than those malaria-non-endemic.  This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19 in malarious areas of southern Iran and the incidence of disease in people previously infected with malaria.

We conducted an ecological study during the Covid-19 epidemic period in a malaria-endemic area, Hormozgan province, by including all critically ill patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospitals in different counties. The malaria cases were matched in the Covid patient's list. Also, the cumulative incidence and mortality rate of the Covid-19 were calculated in all counties.

The results show that malaria-endemic regions have a lower cumulative incidence and mortality rate than the others. Moreover, it was found that people with a history of malaria were not infected with Covid 19.

It seems that malaria endemicity may positively affect the lower incidence and mortality rate of COVID-19 in malaria-endemic regions. However, further studies must be carried out to confirm the hypothesis that malaria reduces the risk of Covid-19 in other parts of the world.

Due to their difficult working conditions, physicians are prone to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders affecting different parts of the body. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among physicians at Mortaz hospital in Yazd, Iran (2020)

The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on 50 physicians at Mortaz Hospital in Yazd. The Nordic questionnaire and the Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were employed to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and analyze body postures at work. Chi-square and t-test were used to determine statistically significant relationships.

Seventy percent of the subjects were male. The mean age of the samples was 47.3 ± 8.4 years. The point prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the lower back, neck, and knees were 52%, 30%, and 24% respectively; and the periodic prevalence of these disorders were 56%, 38%, and 34% in the back, neck, and shoulders respectively. According to the QEC results, 76% of the subjects needed further investigation and intervention in the future, and 20% were at an unacceptable risk level needing to be addressed immediately.

Physicians are exposed to many risk factors due to the working conditions that make them prone to various musculoskeletal disorders. Hence, to reduce the risk and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, interventional measures should be taken.

The present study aims to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and occupational stress among workers of a factory in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on all workers of an engineering company (140 participants). The tools used in the present study included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) Questionnaire and the Body Map Questionnaire. The participants were asked to respond to the questions according to their physical and mental status after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analyzed using SPSS V25.0.

The most frequently reported musculoskeletal issues were related to the back (61.4%) and neck (53.6%) areas, while the lowest prevalence was related to elbows (17.9%). A significant correlation was found between the final scores obtained from the PSS-14 and Body Map Questionnaires for the neck (P = 0.026) and shoulder (P = 0.009) areas. Besides, a significant correlation was found between the participants' gender and pain in the neck (P = 0.005) and shoulder (P = 0.048) areas. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between marital status and pain in the pelvis (P = 0.034) and leg (P = 0.007) areas as well as the thigh and knee (P = 0.017) areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various aspects of mental and physical health in occupational environments and has contributed to an increase in musculoskeletal pain and occupational stress levels. Thus, the adoption of effective strategies and the use of a comprehensive stress management program are suggested to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in occupational environments.

Today, open-plan offices are among the most common work environments. Although the noise in these environments is usually below the standard level, it is one of the critical annoyance factors due to the nature of the mental work. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess noise effects on employee comfort and validate the Persian version of the assessment of noise effects on employee comfort in the open-plan office questionnaire in Iran.

The present descriptive study was conducted in an open-plan office in Shiraz, in 2021. We distributed questionnaires among 66 employees. Besides, we translated the questionnaire using the backward-forward technique, with the alpha coefficient and the intra-class correlation used to measure reliability. Finally, we used the Kappa, Spearman, and Mann-Whitney tests in SPSS V22.0 for data analysis.

The validity of the questionnaire items was evaluated as acceptable using Kappa and Spearman's coefficients. Besides, the reliability of the questionnaire, using the ICC and the alpha coefficient, was 0.876 and 0.930, respectively. In this study, the employees were sensitive to noise, and their overall satisfaction with their physical conditions was moderate. In total, 47% of the employees considered the noise level of their working environment high and very high, and 35% considered it annoying or very annoying.

The findings of the present study showed that the questionnaire was an effective and reliable tool for noise annoyance assessments in office environments. Besides, we can use this tool to determine improvements required in open-plan offices and to evaluate the efficiency of these improvements.

Occupational accidents cause death and disabilities among millions of workers around the world. The mining industry is among the riskiest occupations in this respect. This study aims to investigate interventions made and challenges faced by the health system in response to the Zemestan-Yurt Mine explosion in the Golestan Province, Iran, 2017.

In this article, being a field report, data were collected through direct observations and interviews with first responders involved in the response process, and by checking national and local reports from other organizations.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2017, at 11:58 AM, an explosion occurred in the Yurt coal mine, Golestan Province, in which 126 people were affected directly or indirectly. In fact, 43 workers were killed immediately after the explosion of a coal wagon, 55 were dispatched to hospitals, and 28 received outpatient health services. In this incident, more than 100 teams from various organizations, including the health system, arrived at the scene and carried out relief and rescue operations.

The results of the current study indicate that the health system does not have specific instructions, training plans, as well as well-trained and prepared personnel for managing mine-related accidents. Besides, interactions are not integrated and coordinated among disaster management response teams. Therefore, developing preparedness instructions for responding to disasters, forming rapid response teams and training them for industrial accidents, as well as performing joint exercises and drills with responsible organizations can be effective in improving responses to such accidents.