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Peak expiratory flow rate and chronic respiratory symptoms among restaurant workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand.

ABSTRACT: Background: Cooking smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution affecting millions of people worldwide. To date, there has been no epidemiological study to show the variation in health effects resulting from work at different kinds of restaurants in Thailand. This study determines lung function and chronic respiratory symptoms of workers in four types of eateries commonly found in Thailand. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 321 people working in four common types of restaurants in Thailand: 'tamsang' restaurants (from the Thai word ????????????????, a restaurant that makes a variety of foods to order) (170 people), papaya salad restaurants (51 people), noodle restaurants (50 people), and barbecue stalls (50 people). The restaurant workers' demographic data as well as information on their working conditions was collected using a questionnaire administered in a face to face interview. Each worker's peak expiratory flow rate was measured using a portable peak flow meter. Results: This study found that working in a 'tamsang' restaurant is associated with a higher risk of poor lung function (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.33-5.06) and a higher prevalence of moderate dyspnea symptoms (OR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.63-8.79) compared to working in a papaya salad restaurant. The study also found that each of the following were associated with poor lung function and/or chronic respiratory symptoms: cooking with palm oil, having irritated teary eyes while cooking, cooking without a ventilation hood, long past experience working at restaurants, and working in a small cooking area (1-6 m 2). Conclusions: Work in different kinds of restaurants with variations in cooking methods and work conditions produces diverse effects on airway and lung function. Regulatory organizations should pay careful attention to protecting the health of restaurant workers, especially those working in 'tamsang' restaurants.

SUBMITTER: Juntarawijit C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6904982 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Peak expiratory flow rate and chronic respiratory symptoms among restaurant workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand.

Juntarawijit Chudchawal C

F1000Research 20190814

<b>Background</b>: Cooking smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution affecting millions of people worldwide. To date, there has been no epidemiological study to show the variation in health effects resulting from work at different kinds of restaurants in Thailand. This study determines lung function and chronic respiratory symptoms of workers in four types of eateries commonly found in Thailand. <b>Methods</b>: This is a cross-sectional study of 321 people working in four common types of r ...[more]

PMID: 31857894

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Project description:BackgroundInternational asthma guidelines recommend the monitoring of peak expiratory flow (PEF) as part of asthma self-management in children and adolescents who poorly perceive airflow obstruction, those with a history of severe exacerbations, or those who have difficulty controlling asthma. Measured with a peak flow meter, PEF represents a person's maximum speed of expiration and helps individuals to follow their disease evolution and, ultimately, to prevent asthma exacerbations. However, patient adherence to regular peak flow meter use is poor, particularly in pediatric populations. To address this, we developed an interactive tablet-based game with a portable game controller that can transduce a signal from the user's breath to generate a PEF value.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the concordance between PEF values obtained with the game controller and various measures derived from conventional pulmonary function tests (ie, spirometry) and to synthesize the participants' feedback.MethodsIn this cross-sectional multicenter study, 158 children (aged 8-15 years old) with a diagnosis or suspicion of asthma performed spirometry and played the game in one of two hospital university centers. We evaluated the correlation between PEF measured by both the game controller and spirometry, forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow at 25%-75% of pulmonary volume (FEF25-75), using Spearman correlation. A Bland-Altman plot was generated for comparison of PEF measured by the game controller against PEF measured by spirometry. A post-game user feedback questionnaire was administered and analyzed.ResultsThe participants had a mean age of 10.9 (SD 2.5) years, 44% (71/158) were female, and 88% (139/158) were White. On average, the pulmonary function of the participants was normal, including FEV1, PEF, and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC). The PEF measured by the game controller was reproducible in 96.2% (152/158) of participants according to standardized criteria. The PEF measured by the game controller presented a good correlation with PEF measured by spirometry (r=0.83, P<.001), with FEV1 (r=0.74, P<.001), and with FEF25-75 (r=0.65, P<.001). The PEF measured by the game controller presented an expected mean bias of -36.4 L/min as compared to PEF measured by spirometry. The participants' feedback was strongly positive, with 78.3% (123/157) reporting they would use the game if they had it at home.ConclusionsThe game controller we developed is an interactive tool appreciated by children with asthma, and the PEF values measured by the game controller are reproducible, with a good correlation to values measured by conventional spirometry. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the clinical impact this novel tool might have on asthma management and its potential use in an out-of-hospital setting.

Dataset Information

Peak expiratory flow rate and chronic respiratory symptoms among restaurant workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand.

Publications

Peak expiratory flow rate and chronic respiratory symptoms among restaurant workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand.

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