A Questionnaire Study for Health Conditions and Life Styles of the Workers of a Food Processing Company

Abstract

Analysis of complaints, diseases under treatments and life habits of the workers of a food processing company were carried out from the interview sheets at their regular medical examinations in September 2005. All health data were divided into males and females, and were arranged in the order of their ages. The incidences of each complaint, disease under treatment and life habit were counted separately into four groups ; males below 35 years of ages (male young adults), males over 35 years of ages (male elderly adults), females under 35 years of ages (female young adults) and females over 35 years of ages (female elderly adults) . Fifty percent of male young adults, 48% of male aged adults, 25% of female young adults and 44% of female elderly adults were found to have no complaints. It was found that the healthy persons in this company were higher than those of IT company. Complaints such as exhaustion, palpitation and out of breath were found to be prevalent in the workers of this company than those of IT company indicating that works of a food processing company were physical labor. Incidences of stiff shoulder and lumbago of young adults were almost same in both this company and the IT companies, but those of elderly adults of this company were less prevalent than those of IT company indicating that stiff shoulder and lumbago were not always caused by physical labors but also by office works. Ones who had complaints had plural complaints at the same time in averages 3-5. The most prevalent complaint is tiredness. Thirty% of male, 40% young adult female and 20% of elderly adult female had this complaint.
Twenty-two to twenty-six percent of elderly adults were found to have diseases under treatments. These results were higher than those of IT company. Thirty-eight percent of male young adults, 61% of male elderly adults, 44% of female young adults and 37% of female elderly adults were found to smoke. These incidences were twice higher than those of IT company. Non-smoking movement was found not to be popular in this company. Thirty-eight percent of male young adults, 68% of male elderly adults, 19% of female young adults, and 20% of female elderly adults were found to drink. Over twice more males than females were found to drink in this company. Over 50% of all four groups were found to do physical exercises regularly, suggesting that the workers of this company had far more healthy physical life than those of IT company. Fifty to sixty percents of male and 75% of female were found to have meals three times a day, suggesting that the workers of this company were also found to have far more healthy eating life than those of IT company. But 56% of male young adults, 26% of male elderly adults, 75% of female young adults, and 68% female elderly adults were found to have snack, suggesting that the workers of this company had more chance to have snack. It was also found that 47-56% of male and 43% of female workers of this company had not enough rest, and that 60-70% of workers felt stress.