The relationship between iron deficiency anemia with restless leg syndrome and sleep quality in workers working in a textile factory in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Background The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between iron deficiency anemia with restless leg syndrome (RLS) and sleep quality in workers working in a textile factory in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 216 workers working in a textile factory in Iran. In addition to demographic and occupational variables, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and RLS questionnaires were used for the data collection. To investigate iron deficiency anemia, 2 CC of blood was taken from the brachial artery with the help of a 10-CC syringe with a blue or pink tip. Then, relevant data were entered into SPSS26 and analyzed. Results The mean (S. D.) age of the workers was 32.23 (6.14) and 60.6% of them were women. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was 21.2 and 69.5% in men and women, respectively. Most of the workers were in moderate condition in terms of RLS severity, and 78.2% had sleep disorders. There was an inverse and significant correlation between age ( β = −0.200), work experience ( β = −0.160), hemoglobin ( β = −0.149), and ferritin ( β = −0.186) with global PSQI score ( P value<0.05). Also, an inverse and significant correlation was observed between age ( β = −0.164), hemoglobin ( β = −0.548), and ferritin ( β = −0.410) with RLS score ( P value<0.05). However, there was a direct and significant correlation between TIBC level and RLS score ( β = 0.227) and global PSQI score ( β = 0.395) ( P value<0.05). Conclusions Intervention programs to reduce iron deficiency anemia and periodic screening programs to identify sleep disorders and RLS in textile factory workers seem necessary.