Abstract
Occupational dust exposure is one of the major risk factors for respiratory health in many dust-generating work environments, including the marble industries. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and associated factors among marble factories workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, compared to non-dust exposed alcohol factory workers. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 246 marble factories workers and 246 alcohol factory workers. The respiratory symptoms were assessed by using the standardized questionnaires adopted from both British Medical Research Council (BMRC) Questionnaires and American Thoracic Society (ATS) questionnaires. The data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 23. A Poisson regression analysis was performed to compare the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among marble factory workers and alcohol factory workers. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors that were significantly associated with respiratory symptoms. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value of less than 0.05. A Poisson regression analysis revealed that the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms was significantly higher among marble factory workers (42.1%) than among control workers (16.2%). Chronic Respiratory symptoms was significantly associated with age ≥ 40 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.72, 95% CI:1.07-2.74), past history of respiratory illnesses (AOR = 5.07, 95% CI:3.23-7.96), not using respiratory protective Equipment (AOR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.19-3.92), work experience ≥ 10 years (AOR = 2.04, 95% CI:1.12-3.70), and working hours ≥ 48 h per week (AOR = 2.19, 95%CI: 1.36-3.56). Thus, respiratory protection equipment and engineering control methods should be implemented to reduce workers' exposure to marble dust in marble factories.