Prevalence of Heat-Related Illnesses among Outdoor Workplaces Workers in Hot and Dry Areas of Iran

The risk of heat-related illnesses (HRI) is very high in outdoor workers. Given that there are a large number of outdoor workers in areas of Iran and there is no comprehensive information on HRI among these workers in the risky workplace. Aim of the study i s prevalence of HRI among outdoor workplaces workers in hot and dry areas of Iran. This cross-sectional study carried out among 1800 that randomly selected from outdoor workplaces workers in hot and dry cities of Iran in 2019. Data was collected by researcher-made questionnaire containing questions about information about the participants’ demography and lifestyle; behavior modification during heat; knowledge about HRI; health status of the workplace; type of HRI symptoms in the Sumer 2019; job properties; and individual factors. Then, data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 19. 76.2 % of the participants reported experiencing one or more HRI symptoms that 36% of them were related to headache. HRI is highest prevalence in agricultural workers (37%). HRI symptom are significantly associated with age, work experience, type of working clothes, and ratio of rest/work (p<0.001). Results showed that reducing rest time and water consumption increased the prevalence of HRI (p<0.001). Prevalence of HRI is very high in among outdoor workplace workers in hot and dry areas of Iran, especially agriculture workers. Headache is most prevalence in the workers. Finally, consideration of working clothes, water consumption, and ratio of rest/work have an important role in reducing of HRI.