Medicina, Vol. 50. No. 4, 2014.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Prevalence of sick building syndrome symptoms among employees of public institutions from the city of Osijek
Miodrag Beneš
; Ordinacija opće medicine u Slatini, Dom zdravlja Virovitičko-podravske županije, Virovitica
Maja Miškulin
orcid.org/0000-0001-7330-3019
; Katedra za javno zdravstvo, Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek
Marina Matić
; Odsjek za pedagogiju, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek
Sažetak
Objective: To determine the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms among employees of public institutions from the city of Osijek and to assess whether there is a connection between the prevalence of individual symptoms of SBS appearing among subjects and their demographic characteristics, smoking habit, length of working experience and professional qualifications. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during May 2013 in the city of Osijek. The study included 178 subjects, 33.7 % (60/178) males and 66.3% (118/178) females, mean age 39.3±10.4 years. The overall response rate was 59.3% (178/300). Data on gender, age, smoking habits, length of working experience and professional qualifications of the subjects as well as data pertaining to the frequency of occurrence of certain symptoms of SBS among subjects were gathered through an anonymous questionnaire. Results: 61.8% (110/178) of the subjects had one or more symptoms of SBS. The most frequently identified symptoms were: fatigue, feelings of head pressure, headache, itching, burning sensation or irritation of the eyes and dry/sore throat. The study showed that all the observed symptoms of SBS were more frequent in females, subjects aged 33-46 years, non-smokers, subjects whose length of working experience was 1-9 years and subjects of secondary or higher education. Conclusions: Symptoms of SBS often occur among employees of public institutions from the city of Osijek, which compromises their health and productivity. By simply adjusting working conditions and practices it is possible to reduce prevalence of symptoms of SBS which would ultimately improve the health condition and overall productivity of the employees.
Ključne riječi
Croatia; health; sick building syndrome; work
Hrčak ID:
129787
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.12.2014.
Posjeta: 1.636 *