Table 1
Demographic and work characteristics of participants (n = 423).
| Characteristic | Statistics | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD (min-median-max) | 41.2 ± 11.2 (18–41–75) | |
| Sex, n (%) | Male | 247 (58.4) |
| Female | 176 (41.6) | |
| Business type, n (%) | Family business | 355 (83.9) |
| Business owner | 28 (6.6) | |
| Salaried seasonal worker | 26 (6.1) | |
| Paid permanent worker | 13 (3.1) | |
| Age started to work (years), mean ± SD (min-median-max) | 15.5 ± 3.6 (5–15–35) | |
| Total working duration in greenhoouses (months), mean ± SD (min-median-max) | 215.5 ± 116.1 (12–216–732) | |
| Working duration in current greenhouse (months), mean ± SD (min-median-max) | 187.5 ± 111.5 (1-180–480) | |
| Prior working history, n (%) | Absent | 243 (57.4) |
| Present* | 180 (42.6) | |
| Duties performed in greenhouses, n (%) | Dibbling | 413 (97.6) |
| Weeding | 379 (89.6) | |
| Spraying | 364 (86.1) | |
| Spinning | 411 (97.2) | |
| Fertilization | 353 (83.5) | |
| Harvesting | 415 (98.1) | |
| Sorting | 403 (95.3) | |
| Roofing | 323 (76.4) | |
| Occupational health practice†, n (%) | Contact with chemical substances | 405 (96.2) |
| Using work clothes | 293 (69.6) | |
| Using gloves | 266 (62.9) | |
| Using work clothes in daily life/at home | 192 (45.6) | |
| Using a mask | 73 (17.3) | |
| Consuming food and beverage in the greenhouse | 282 (67) | |
[i] min, minimum; max, maximum; SD, standard deviation.
*Duration of prior working history (years), mean ± SD (min-median-max) was 12.1 ± 7.4 (1–10–41).
†Two cases were missing (n = 421).
Table 2
Distribution of the diseases according to ICD-10* codes.
| Disease | n | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin (n = 167) | L23.9 Allergic contact dermatitis, unspecified cause | 125 | 74.9 |
| L30.9 Dermatitis, unspecified | 11 | 6.6 | |
| L50 Urticaria | 9 | 5.4 | |
| L29.9 Pruritus, unspecified | 8 | 4.8 | |
| L20.9 Atopic dermatitis, unspecified | 6 | 3.6 | |
| R23.8 Other skin changes | 5 | 3.0 | |
| R21 Rash and other nonspecific skin eruption | 3 | 1.8 | |
| Respiratory System (n = 120) | R06.0 Dyspnea | 68 | 56.7 |
| J45 Asthma | 32 | 26.7 | |
| J30.4 Allergic rhinitis, unspecified | 8 | 6.7 | |
| R05 Cough | 7 | 5.8 | |
| J40 Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic | 2 | 1.7 | |
| R07.0 Pain in throat | 2 | 1.7 | |
| J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 1 | 0.8 | |
| Musculoskeletal System (n=268) | M54.5 Low back pain | 195 | 72.8 |
| M25.5 Pain in joint | 25 | 9.3 | |
| M51.9 Unspecified thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorder | 22 | 8.2 | |
| M79.1 Myalgia | 20 | 7.5 | |
| M79.6 Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes | 4 | 1.5 | |
| M50 Cervical disc disorders | 2 | 0.7 | |
[i] *10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
Table 3
Distribution of factors participants’ answers about their own beliefs regarding possible occupational factors causing the disease.
| Disease | n | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin (n = 167) | Pesticides | 102 | 61.1 |
| Dust | 58 | 34.7 | |
| Hot working environment | 27 | 16.2 | |
| Contact with the produced plant | 18 | 10.8 | |
| Humidity | 9 | 5.4 | |
| Bending work | 2 | 1.2 | |
| Chemical fertilizer | 2 | 1.2 | |
| Working upwards | 2 | 1.2 | |
| Heavy lifting | 1 | 0.6 | |
| Respiratory System (n = 120) | Pesticides | 80 | 66.7 |
| Dust | 54 | 45 | |
| Humidity | 19 | 15.8 | |
| Hot working environment | 18 | 15 | |
| Chemical fertilizer | 3 | 2.5 | |
| Heavy lifting | 1 | 0.8 | |
| Musculoskeletal System (n = 268) | Heavy lifting | 125 | 46.6 |
| Bending work | 121 | 45.1 | |
| Hot working environment | 15 | 5.6 | |
| Working upwards | 8 | 3 | |
| Dust | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Humidity | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Pesticides | 2 | 0.7 | |
Table 4
Distribution of positive answers for questions asking work-relatedness and for all questions about the relationship of diseases to work.
| Skin (n* = 167) | Respiratory System (n* = 120) | Musculoskeletal System (n* = 268) | Total (n† = 423) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % |
| Did disease start after started to work in the greenhouse? | 141 | 84.4 | 97 | 80.8 | 230 | 85.8 | 353 | 83.5 |
| Does the disease exacerbated as you work in the greenhouse? | 155 | 92.8 | 117 | 97.5 | 258 | 96.3 | 402 | 95 |
| Are there any others working in the same workplace have similar disease? | 102 | 61.1 | 56 | 46.7 | 186 | 69.4 | 262 | 61.9 |
| Do your complaints decline when you do not work in the greenhouse? | 152 | 91 | 112 | 93.3 | 249 | 92.9 | 387 | 91.5 |
| Is there at least one factor in your workplace causative this disease? | 148 | 88.6 | 110 | 91.7 | 248 | 92.5 | 380 | 89.8 |
| Total number of positive answers | n* | % | n* | % | n* | % | n† | % |
| 5 | 85 | 50.9 | 46 | 38.3 | 153 | 57.1 | 212 | 50.1 |
| 4 | 54 | 32.3 | 53 | 44.2 | 84 | 31.3 | 144 | 34,1 |
| 3 | 14 | 8.4 | 12 | 10 | 17 | 6.3 | 36 | 8.5 |
| 2 | 4 | 2.4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2.6 | 14 | 3.3 |
| 1 | 7 | 4.2 | 2 | 1.7 | 5 | 1.9 | 12 | 2.8 |
| – | 3 | 1.8 | 1 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.7 | 5 | 1.2 |
[i] *Number of diagnoses.
†Number of workers.