Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis and Individual Prevention Practices Among Textile Workers in Vietnam

The object of this study is to estimate the pervalence of rhinitis symptoms amongst textile workers and individual prevention practices currently used by workers in textile factories in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two textile garment companies in the Nam Dinh province of Vietnam from May to October 2016. A total of 1082 workers in all stages of the textile production process participated in the study. Itchy nose and sneeze were the most common symptoms (with 46.9% and 46.9%, respectively, followed by itchy (33.2%) and runny nose (24.5%). Duration of cotton dust exposure per day were positively associated with face mask use (OR=1.90; 95% CI= 1.24 - 2.90) regular face mask use (OR=2.5; 95% CI=1.87 – 3.33) and nasal spray before working (OR=4.2; 95% CI=1.49-11.83). A high pervalence of allergic OR is observed amongst textile workers in Vietnam highlighting the need for preventive measures to reduce exposure to cotton dust.