| Background:Pneumoconiosis, still as one of the most important occupational issues, sees no efficient treatment. The prevalence rate of pneumoconiosis in western countries remains high and in China, there are abundance of people exposed to dust and the situation of pneumoconiosis is serious, which takes70%in the total sum of occupational diseases in each year.Also the situation of pneumoconiosis in Anhui province, one of the most intensive area of quartz sand factory, is still urgent. According to statistics by the end of2007, there have been altogether17282cases of pneumoconiosiswith461new cases and17deaths in the year.Farmers account for a significant proportion in groups exposed to occupational diseases risks, which in recent years is being attached to great importance by academic research and the whole society. There are many cases reflecting the severity of the problem, such as pneumoconiosis cases of small coal mines in Wuwei of Anhui province; the thoracotomy case of Zhang Haichao in Henan province, the abnormal disease in Shuifu of Yunnan province, and the pneumoconiosis scandal in Shenzhen, etc. As is known to all, occupational pneumoconiosisof migrant workers concerns various aspects of medical science as well as social science, which is closely related to social psychology and behaviors. Therefore, the prevention of migrant workers’ occupational pneumoconiosis needs not only the correct theoretical direction, but also proper strategies and measures, which requires the organic combination with medical science and other disciplines.Comprehensive evaluation is being widely applied in medical and other related fields, such as effectiveness evaluation of diseases, life quality evaluation as well as health service level evaluation. The method is not only of great practical value but also with wide application prospect. This study attempts to apply comprehensive evaluation to investigate the health state of sand workers from a certain area, and provides evidence for the prevention and intervention of pneumoconiosis.Objectives:This study is to investigate the health of workers in quartz sand enterprises and their recognition of occupational health; analyze the health state of sand workers by comprehensive evaluation, pose proper measures in improving their life quality, therefore, provide certain fundamental materials for future research and scientific basis for the government, enterprises and other department concerned to improve sand workers’ life quality.Methodology:By retrieving literatures from home and abroad in data bases such as CNKI, VIP database, Wanfang database and PubMed, etc.; and consulting valuable opinions from experts and researchers; and with certain sociological situation as geological location, historical background, industrial development system and the migration of rural workers in cities, we picked sand workers in Fengyang county as the object of the study.(1)190sand workers from4countries in Fengyang were selected as our research object, which includes140local workers and50workers from other areas; according to the matching proportion of1:1.2, we selected200sand workers from the same work places as the control group with questionnaires to investigate. And comprehensive evaluation was used to evaluate sand workers’ health and analyze occupational health awareness of workers in the experimental group.(2) Cluster sampling was used to randomly select migrant workers from different workshops to be interviewed. With combination of observation, we collected their materials such as family background, social status, social interaction and interpersonal relationships from their working fields. Still incorporated into our research are their subjective recognition and personal opinions; we also case-studied pneumoconiosis patient and railway veterans and investigate comprehensively their health and other occupation-related questions.Results:(1) The comprehensive evaluation index of the experimental group is higher than that of the control group (experimental group GI=33.3898, control group GI=25.6029). Indicators in comprehensive evaluation were properly selected (CI<0.10); the weight coefficient of sub-objects in each level are logical (CR=CI/RI,<0.10).(2) The variation in sight-loss, headache, memory-loss, easy-to-impulse, cough and expectoration, arthralgia, chest pain and chest distress,discomfort of the precordial area of the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05) and increasing trend was seen in the experimental group with the extension of working age.(3) Health-related awareness among the sand workers is low.Conclusion:Quartz sand dust is responsible for sand workers’ health; health awareness of the workers is relatively low. Silicosis is a great risk to human body and government and departments related should attach much importance to it. Suggestions based on the study are as follows:1. The government should reinforce laws and regulations and define the maximum dust density allowed.2.Enterprises should pay attention to the prevention of pneumoconiosis, formulate policies in local areas and designate responsible staff, and reinforce publicity and education.3.Health inspection authorities at all levels and department concerned should supervise regularly the dust density in enterprises and pneumoconiosis prevalence in the area.4. A supervision environment should be constructed in the whole society to insure health.5. Workers should pay special attention to individual prevention and personal health. To sum up, we should wholeheartedly protect the health of workers and create a harmonious society. |
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