Noise-Related Hearing Disorder Among Vector Control Workers in Kuala Lumpur.

Introduction Noise-related hearing disorder (NRHD) is the second most common sensorineural hearing loss, right after age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). It is the highest reported occupational disease and a major compensable occupational hazard in Malaysia. With the increase in dengue cases, the need for vector control workers to control the spread of dengue at the expense of being exposed to noisy fogging machines is critical. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of vector control workers conducted by a local authority in Kuala Lumpur. Participants were categorised as either vector control workers who were directly involved in fogging activities or those who were not. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, medical and occupational information. NRHD was confirmed by an audiogram test. Results This study found a high prevalence of NRHD among vector control workers exposed to fogging activity (occupational noise hazards), with 51.4% of them experiencing this condition. The predictors of NRHD include fogging status adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.94 (95% CI: 1.19 - 3.17), sex 18.28 (95% CI: 2.33 - 143.16) and age 2.03 (95% CI: 1.27 - 3.25). Conclusion The findings of this study imply that vector control workers are at risk of NRHD. The predictors of NRHD are fogging status, sex and age. These findings emphasise the major impact of occupational noise hazards on NRHD and emphasise the importance of addressing this issue to preserve employees' health; especially among male and older employees with chronic noise exposure.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Occupational Noise Exposure and Hypertension in Malaysia.

Introduction Noise is an occupational hazard that has been linked to negative effects beyond the auditory system, including hypertension. This study investigated the associations between occupational noise exposure and the risk of hypertension. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among state government employees. Data were collected through an online, self-administered questionnaire. Participants were divided into noise-exposed and non-noise-exposed groups based on their self-reported speech communication effort. Hypertension status was also self-reported. Descriptive analysis was performed on sociodemographic, lifestyle, medical history, and occupational characteristics to determine frequency and prevalence. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to compute the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) while adjusting for potential confounders. Results A total of 1005 state government employees were analyzed. The prevalence of hypertension was 18.8% among noise-exposed employees. After adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, dyslipidemia, BMI, and family history of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, noise-exposed employees had a higher risk of hypertension, with an OR of 1.70 (95% CI = 1.09-2.66, p = 0.020), compared to non-exposed employees. Noise-exposed employees who had been exposed to occupational noise hazards for more than 10 years had a higher risk of hypertension (OR 2.04, 95% CI = 1.26-3.29, p = 0.004) compared to those who were unexposed. Conclusion Occupational noise exposure was associated with an increased risk of hypertension. These findings underscore the need to address noise exposure in the workplace and implement appropriate strategies to reduce its potential negative impact on employees' health.

An ecological study of the relationship between urban built environment and cardiovascular hospital admissions (2004-2016) in an Asian developing country.

This study aims to evaluate the relationship between urban built environment and hospital admissions from cardiovascular diseases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hospital admission data from 2004 to 2016 for cardiovascular diseases were used with patient residential postcodes as the unit of analysis. Data was split into 2004-2009 (12,551 cases) and 2010-2016 (17,154 cases) periods corresponding to land use data. We used generalized linear mixed model to analyse population density, property value, entropy index, and the kernel density (800 m) of specific land use, bus and rail stations, and road junctions, with time period and postcodes as the random effects to generate incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results indicated that entropy index and recreational area density were associated with fewer hypertensive disease and ischemic heart disease hospital admissions (IRR range: 0.49-0.68, 95%CI: 0.27, 0.97). Population density and property value were associated with fewer cerebrovascular disease hospital admissions (IRR range: 0.29-0.34, 95%CI: 0.11, 0.75). Contrarily, density of road junctions was associated with 2.5-6.3 times more hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease hospital admissions (IRR range: 2.53-6.34, 95%CI: 1.07,17.91). There were no significant association between hospital admission and density of residential area, undeveloped land, rail and bus stations. The shapes of relationships for all attributes were non-linear, and changed markedly at the third quartile except for recreational area density. The findings suggest that land use attributes have some protective effects on the cardiovascular disease admission cases as compared to the transport attributes. These findings have important merits for integrating health into urban planning.