A study on the influencing factors of mental health of Chinese garden workers: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Occupational hazards occur in all walks of life. China's horticulture industry is undergoing rapid development. However, the mental health of garden workers has not received much attention. This study investigates the mental health status and influencing factors of Chinese garden workers and provides a basis for promoting their mental health and ensuring the healthy development of Chinese horticulture. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of garden workers in Beijing was conducted from 10 July 2021 to 10 October 2021. A total of 3349 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective response rate of 95.69%. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out on the demographic characteristics, job satisfaction, stress, anxiety, and depression of garden workers, and the influencing factors affecting the mental health of Chinese garden workers were found through a t-test, variance analysis, and ordinal multi-class logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Survey respondents were mostly male (54.4%) and under the age of 40 (64.1%). The anxiety and depression symptoms of the garden workers were moderate. Among staff members, 40.2% were in a normal state of stress. Gender, three meals on time, monthly income, and job satisfaction were the factors influencing stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms among garden workers. CONCLUSION: Compared to medical staff and other groups, the stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms of Chinese garden workers are severe. Gender, monthly income, and job satisfaction are important factors affecting their mental health. Managers should continuously improve the working environment of garden workers, provide salaries that match their positions, and improve their job recognition and satisfaction to reduce the impact of negative emotions on personal health.

Association of maternal determinants with low birth weight babies in tea garden workers of Assam.

AIM: This study was aimed to evaluate the association of maternal determinants with birth weight (BW) of babies in tea garden workers (TGW) and housewives (HW). METHODS: A total of 175 subjects were recruited from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, India. In this cross-sectional study, maternal determinants, BW of babies and placental weight were explored in TGW (n = 102) and HW (n = 73). These factors were assessed and correlated by logistic regression models. RESULTS: A higher incidence of low birth weight (LBW) was found in mothers working in the tea garden (48.04%) as compared to HW (10.96%). Activity of plucking of leaves in tea garden by women had a higher risk for LBW babies (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] 4.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-13.57, P = 0.012) and decreased placental weight (AOR 11.42, 95% CI 1.18-126.02, P = 0.036) as compared to HW considered as reference group. Women who worked continuously in the tea garden during 9 months of pregnancy also revealed an elevated risk for LBW (AOR 5.32, 95% CI 1.34-21.09, P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: This study suggests the activity of plucking of tea leaves by women is associated with LBW of babies and decreased placental weight. Particularly, if mothers worked continuously in the tea garden during 9 months of pregnancy, it also increased the risk of delivering LBW babies. This exploratory study provides an important platform for further prospective studies, which could be focused on the potential consequences of maternal occupational exposures during pregnancy on fetal development.

Poverty, undernutrition and morbidity: The untold story of tea-garden workers of Alipurduar district, West Bengal.

Background: There is a paucity of information on health and nutritional status of tea-garden workers of West Bengal, which is crucial to meet their health needs by formulating appropriate public health interventions. Objectives/Aims: The objective of this study is to assess the morbidity pattern and nutritional status of tea-garden workers of West Bengal, India. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 463 tea-garden workers of randomly selected three tea gardens of Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India, chosen by multi-stage sampling. Pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic and other variables by means of interview. Physical examination and anthropometric assessment were performed. The haemoglobin was estimated by the 'filter paper cyanmethemoglobin method'. Morbidities were assessed on the basis of history, clinical examination, evaluation of medical records if any and relevant laboratory investigations and classified and coded as per the 10th revision of the international classification of the diseases. Morbidity profile and nutritional status were assessed through history taking, clinical examination, review of medical records if any, anthropometric assessment and laboratory investigations. Statistical Analysis: Simple proportion was used for interpretation of point prevalence. Chi-square test was applied as the test of significance wherever applicable. Results: Out of total 463 tea-garden workers, majorities (76%) were female and from backward social class (81.2%). More than half (55.9%) were illiterate and three-fourth (67.2%) belonged to lower income quartile. Anaemia was found widespread (87.9%) and more than one-third (36.1%) of the tea-garden workers were found undernourished. Also 43.8% of the workers had airway obstruction as measured by peak expiratory flow rate. Majority (69.8%) of the garden workers had any form of morbidity. Non-communicable diseases (24.2%), musculoskeletal disorders (17.9%), skin disorders (17.7%), respiratory morbidities (16.2%), febrile illness (12.3%), gastro-intestinal disorders (8.6%), ocular problems (8.4%), vitamin and micronutrients deficiencies were found the common morbidities among tea-garden workers. Scheduled tribe caste, undernutrition and anaemia were found independent determinants of any morbidity among the tea-garden workers. Conclusions: Morbidities, anaemia and under-nutrition were found very much prevalent among tea-garden workers of West Bengal, which necessitates urgent public health interventions through multi-disciplinary approach in a focussed manner with an aim to improve the overall quality of life of the tea-garden workers.

Comparative distribution of Lysyl Oxidase (G473A) and NQO1 (C609T) polymorphism among tea-garden workers (habitual chewers of betel quid) of Darjeeling district and Kolkata city of West Bengal.

CONTEXT: Chewing of processed arecanut products with tobacco and betel quid has been attributed to many oral pathological conditions. These products are very popular among the youngsters of lower economic groups. Genetic predisposition has been now identified as a major risk factor for increasing the susceptibility toward the disease among these chewers. AIMS: Our study mainly aims to find out the predisposition of LOX (G473A) and NQO1 (C609T) polymorphisms and present a comparison between the population (habitually exposed to processed arecanut and smokeless tobacco products) of a metro-city Kolkata and the tea-garden workers of Darjeeling district of West Bengal. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Subjects for the study was recruited from various oral health check-up camps organized in the tea-gardens of Darjeeling district and Kolkata city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genotyping analysis was done through a Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based approach. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: A two-way contingency table analysis software (JAVASTAT: http://statpages.org/ctab2 × 2.html) using 95% confidence interval was used to study the distribution of genotypes among the populations. A P < 0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: The results indicates both the heterozygous and homozygous carriers of NQO1 C > T (609) was found to be significantly higher among the north Bengal tea-garden workers [OR 0.480 (0.280-0.82) P = 0.01; 0.218 (0.091-0.524) P = 0.0001], respectively. Interestingly CT (21% in both) and TT (8% and 7%, respectively) were found to be equally distributed in the two populations. For LOX G > A (473) a significantly higher number of Kolkata individuals were found to carry the heterozygous GA allele in individuals aged <30 years [OR 3.779 (1.684-6.547) P = 0.001]. However, none were carrier of heterozygous GA allele of Kolkata population as compared with 29% north Bengal tea-garden workers aged above 31 years. CONCLUSIONS: A close observation of occurrence of oral diseases over time among such a population will be helpful to identify risk genotypes responsible for betel quid-induced oral diseases.