A study on socio-demographic profile and morbidity pattern of traffic policemen in an urban area of Madurai city, Tamilnadu

Abstract

Background: The occupational environment plays a major role on the health of workers and the severity increases with increase in duration of exposure. Traffic policemen are one of the most vulnerable groups to various illnesses as they are exposed to dust, noise, fumes, ultra-violet radiation during their work. Objectives: To assess the morbidity pattern and the health seeking behavior among the traffic policemen in Madurai city. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from August to November 2017 among 239 traffic policemen in Madurai city using a pretested, semi structured, questionnaire for interview and clinical examination. Data were entered in Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: About 88% of the study participants underwent regular master health checkups of which 76% of the study participants had master health checkups once a year. Government hospitals were being accessed by 69% of traffic policemen. 29.3% were suffering from hypertension, 26.8% were suffering from respiratory problems, 25.1% suffered from gastrointestinal problems, 22.2% suffered from Musculoskeletal disorders, 10.9% had varicose veins. There was a significant association between BMI and varicose veins (