Occupational Noise-Induced Pre-Hypertension and Determinant Factors Among Metal Manufacturing Workers in Gondar City Administration, Northwest Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disorders are one of the commonly recognized occupational diseases in the developed world. Individuals chronically exposed to noise at workplaces had a higher risk of developing elevated arterial blood pressure. There are limited studies in Ethiopia regarding this topic and thus this study determined the prevalence and determinant factors of occupational noise-induced pre-hypertension among metal manufacturing workers in Gondar city administration, Northwest Ethiopia.

METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was carried out. In this study, 300 study participants were recruited by census sampling method. A sound level meter was used to measure the working area noise level. A semi-structured pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical data. Blood pressure was measured in a quiet room in the morning using a mercurial sphygmomanometer. Both bivariable and multi-variable binary logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with noise-induced prehypertension. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was reported, and variables with p < 0.05 were considered as statistically associated factors with pre-hypertension.

RESULTS: The prevalence of noise-induced pre-hypertension was 27.7% (95% CI: 22.7-32.7). In multivariable logistic regression, working area noise level (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI: 6.8-8.9), 45-65 years' age (AOR = 9.8, 95% CI: 5.4-12.9), years of work experience ((6-10 years (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.98-5.90 and >10 years (AOR = 4.8, 95% CI: 7.8-9.75)), being a cigarette smoker (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.36-9.77), and alcohol consumption (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.06-1.04) were significantly associated with noise-induced prehypertension.

CONCLUSION: Workers in metal manufactures who were exposed to noise levels >85 dB developed elevated blood pressure. The odds of having prehypertension were increased by years of work experience, advanced age, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Our findings recommended that the real-world preventive strategies should be taken to lower the risk of noise-induced pre-hypertension hastened by occupational noise exposure.