Browsing by Author "Mgonja, Frida R."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Association between occupational risks of exposure to pesticides and respiratory symptoms among organic and non organic farmworkers
(2022) Owisso, Rose D.; Bukalasa, Joseph S.; Mwezi, Raphael J.; Maleto, Julius S.; Mgonja, Frida R.
Respiratory problem is one of the main occupational health challenges faced by farmworkers, it can occur while preparing and applying pesticides and during tasks in recently sprayed fields. Symptoms associated with different respiratory problems include coughing, wheezing and airway inflammation are commonly observed among farmworkers who are occupationally exposed to pesticides. In low and middle-income countries, epidemiological evidence for the association between occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory diseases in adults is limited. The study employed a cross-sectional survey that ran from January to February 2021 using face to face semi- structured questionnaire administered to farmworkers who were working on flower and coffee farms in Arusha and Kilimanjaro. Approximately 384 farmworkers were randomly selected to participate in this study. The study included organic and non-organic farmworkers who were directly engaged in agricultural activities and exclude supporting staff such as human resource managers who were not engaged directly in agricultural activities. The results indicate that non-organic farmers were at high risk of developing respiratory symptoms than organic farmworkers. Non-organic farmers were significantly associated with cough, rhinitis, and shortness of breath among farmworkers [adj. OR (95% CI) 31.94 (12.04, 84.70), 4.44 (2.61, 7.56) and 6.44 (1.98, 20.95)] respectively. However, there should be a systematic collection of data about poisoning cases occurring in the farm areas with a large number of employees so that effective measures can be taken to protect the farmers from chronic illnesses associated with pesticide exposure, particularly respiratory problems in this case.
Retrospective study on prevalence of burn injury among children at St Francis Referral Hospital Morogoro Tanzania
(Hilaris publisher, 2021) Karuhanga, Theresia A.; Macha, Magreth E.; Sakurani, Baltazary Theobald; Them, Lilian; Mgabo, Mabusi; Rashidi, Mayoka; Tekie, Fassil; Mgonja, Frida R.
Introduction: Burn is an injury resulting from extreme temperature, chemicals or electricity. Fire-related burns are the most cause of death for children. Infants are at high risk consisting a global rate ranging from 3.0 to 4.9 deaths per 100 000 population. Methodology: The study involved children aged between 2 to 9 years who were admitted due to burn injuries from January 2014 to December 2018. The hospital based study was conducted and data were collected by using medical records. Results: The totals of 9125 were admitted during the period and surgical conditions accounted about 12% of total pediatric admissions. Among these 291 were enrolled with M: F 1.8:1. Scald was the common cause of burn in this population 213 (73%), children of 2yeas were the most affected group by 32.3% (94) and the mortality rate was 1.7%. Conclusion: Majority of childhood burn injuries at this hospital are scald and most affected children with two years of age which give a needs of community based education of children and infant protection from burn injury.