Tamires Patrícia Souza1,2, Rafaela Souza3, Guilherme Watte4, Jorge Alan de Souza5, José da Silva Moreira4, Marli Maria Knorst4,6. 1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Pneumológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. tamirespatriciasouza@gmail.com. 2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp. Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126. Cidade Universitária, Campinas, SP, CEP 13083-887, Brazil. tamirespatriciasouza@gmail.com. 3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. 4. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Pneumológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 5. Unidade Regional de Saúde do Trabalhador, Ametista Do Sul, RS, Brazil. 6. Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to comparatively evaluate HRQOL in miners of semi-precious stones with and without silicosis, and determine the associated factors, as well as the performance of two different questionnaires in measuring HRQOL. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 348 male miners (129 with silicosis) who underwent an interview and spirometry, HRQOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire and the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). RESULTS: Miners with silicosis were older, had less schooling, worked more hours daily, and had longer exposure to silica. They also had worse scores of QoL in both questionnaires. Respiratory symptoms and %FEV1 were contributing factors for the models of total health and all the domains of the SGRQ, and 40% of the variability of the general health domain of WHOQOL-BREF was due to dyspnea, wheezing, %FEV1, and pack-years of cigarette smoking. Respiratory symptoms, lung function, pack-years of cigarette smoking, years of education, and average monthly income were contributing factors for the models of the different domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed impaired HRQOL in semi-precious stone miners evaluated using both questionnaire tools of SGRQ and WHOQOL-BREF, of which SGRQ had superior performance. Respiratory symptoms, functional impairment, and pack-years of cigarette smoking were the most important determinants of the workers' general HRQOL.
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to comparatively evaluate HRQOL in miners of semi-precious stones with and without silicosis, and determine the associated factors, as well as the performance of two different questionnaires in measuring HRQOL. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 348 male miners (129 with silicosis) who underwent an interview and spirometry, HRQOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire and the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). RESULTS:Miners with silicosis were older, had less schooling, worked more hours daily, and had longer exposure to silica. They also had worse scores of QoL in both questionnaires. Respiratory symptoms and %FEV1 were contributing factors for the models of total health and all the domains of the SGRQ, and 40% of the variability of the general health domain of WHOQOL-BREF was due to dyspnea, wheezing, %FEV1, and pack-years of cigarette smoking. Respiratory symptoms, lung function, pack-years of cigarette smoking, years of education, and average monthly income were contributing factors for the models of the different domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed impaired HRQOL in semi-precious stone miners evaluated using both questionnaire tools of SGRQ and WHOQOL-BREF, of which SGRQ had superior performance. Respiratory symptoms, functional impairment, and pack-years of cigarette smoking were the most important determinants of the workers' general HRQOL.
Entities:
Keywords:
Mineworkers; Occupational health; Pneumoconiosis; Quality of life; Silicosis