An Epidemiological Study of Occupational Health Problems Among Women Beedi Workers

The beedi industry is one of the major small-scale unorganized manufacturing sectors in India. In the beedi rolling industry, women accounted for a very high proportion of the labor force. The majorities of beedi workers are economically poor and spend a lot of time beedi rolling in unsanitary conditions, which can cause a number of illnesses like back pain, arthritis, eye difficulties, headaches, skin disorders, joint pain, and other ailments like asthma and tuberculosis. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of occupational health problems and the socioeconomic status (SES) of women beedi workers in Koch Bihar district, India. The prevalence of typical occupational health issues among female beedi workers was evaluated by a descriptive cross-sectional study. Purposive random sampling was utilized to acquire the data, and descriptive statistical analysis was performed to interpret the findings. The study comprised 143 females who actively engaged in beedi rolling (mean age 36.87 ± 9.47 years), and 88.8% of them reported issues, such as joint pain, eye problems, neurological, and skin illnesses.