Ansah Edward Wilson, Ankomah-Appiah Emmanuel, Hormenu Thomas
Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Cardiometabolic Epidemiology Research Laboratory, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
BMJ Public Health. 2025 Aug 7;3(2):e001378. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2024-001378. eCollection 2025.
Many workplace illnesses are increasing exponentially because of the rapid change in climate and associated workplace heat exposure that lead to heat stress and ambulatory hypertension among workers. Fish smoking is a common livelihood among people residing along the coastal areas in developing countries who work outdoors and in extreme heat.
The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of heat stress and ambulatory hypertension among fish smokers in coastal areas of Ghana and to identify work-related factors that influence these conditions.
This exploratory cross-sectional survey sampled 2018 fish smokers from various communities along the coastal areas of Ghana. Using a convenient sampling method to select the workers, data were collected with a questionnaire, collecting anthropometric information like weight, height and physiological parameters, including blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature using sphygmomanometer and thermometer. Also, the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index was used to measure heat stress exposure among the workers. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis H test, in SPSS V.25.0.
The study found that 87.6% of fish smokers in coastal Ghana reported high levels of heat stress, and 59.0% recorded ambulatory hypertension. Workers on the afternoon shift showed higher levels of heat stress compared with those on morning and evening shifts. The number of workdays per week was also linked to severe ambulatory hypertension. The analysis confirmed significant differences in heat stress across shifts (χ²=103.51, p<0.001, η²p=0.165) and in ambulatory blood pressure among workers based on workdays (χ²=96.04, p<0.001, η²p=0.352), showing moderate-to-large effects.
The study emphasises the importance of creating safe and healthy work environments that protect fish smokers from health hazards associated with heat exposure. There is the need for fish smokers to adopt less heat emission ovens for fish smoking and regularly cool their bodies during the afternoon shift as they pay attention to rehydration.
由于气候的快速变化以及相关的工作场所热暴露，导致许多职业疾病呈指数级增长，进而使工人出现热应激和动态血压升高。在发展中国家沿海地区，户外工作且处于酷热环境中的居民普遍以熏鱼为生。
本研究旨在评估加纳沿海地区熏鱼工人的热应激和动态血压升高的患病率，并确定影响这些状况的工作相关因素。
这项探索性横断面调查从加纳沿海地区的各个社区抽取了2018名熏鱼工人。采用方便抽样方法选取工人，通过问卷调查收集数据，使用血压计和温度计收集体重、身高等人的测量信息以及包括血压、心率和体温在内的生理参数。此外，湿球黑球温度指数用于测量工人的热应激暴露情况。数据在SPSS V.25.0中使用描述性统计、Kruskal-Wallis H检验进行分析。
研究发现，加纳沿海地区87.6%的熏鱼工人报告热应激水平较高，59.0%的工人记录有动态血压升高。与早班和晚班工人相比，中班工人的热应激水平更高。每周工作日的数量也与严重的动态血压升高有关。分析证实，不同班次的热应激存在显著差异（χ²=103.51，p<0.001，η²p=0.165），基于工作日的工人动态血压也存在显著差异（χ²=96.04，p<0.001，η²p=0.352），显示出中等到较大的影响。
该研究强调了创造安全健康工作环境的重要性，以保护熏鱼工人免受与热暴露相关的健康危害。熏鱼工人需要采用热排放较少的烤箱进行熏鱼，并在中班期间定期降温，同时注意补充水分。
