Respiratory health symptoms and lung function among roadside hawkers in Serdang and its association with traffic-related exposures

Background: the main objective of this study was to determine the respiratory health symptoms and lung function among roadside hawkers in serdang,malaysia and its association with traffic-related exposures. methods: this cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 60 roadside hawkers while 60 restaurant workers were included as the comparative group in 2015. a questionnaire was used to collect background information and symptoms of respiratory health. all participants performed lung function tests. personal exposure to traffic-related fine particulate matter (pm2.5) and carbon dioxide (co) were performed among a representative group of workers. all statistical analysis was performed using spss version 22. results: the mean (standard deviation) pm2.5 exposure among the roadside hawkers was 31.05 (1.62) μg/m3 while the exposure among the comparative group was 19.41 (1.51) μg/m3 (p<0.05). the mean exposure level of co among the roadside hawkers was 2.42 (0.29) ppm compared to 1.51 (0.14) ppm among comparative group. fev1 (litres) (z=-1.96,p=0.04) of the exposed group was significantly lower than the comparative group. respiratory symptoms such as wheezing,chest tightness,coughing and phlegm were significantly higher among exposed group (p<0.05). there were significant associations between the reporting of wheezing with pm2.5 (odds ratio,or=10.39,95% confidence interval,ci=2.67-40.41),working duration (or=13.36,95%ci=3.13- 57.03) and current smoking status (or=3.34,95%ci=1.04-10.67). conclusion: roadside hawkers are exposed to high traffic-related pollutants,had reduced lung function,and are at risk for increased respiratory health symptoms. the study suggested the importance of preventive management for this specific group of workers. © 2016,iranian journal of public health. all rights reserved.