Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
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How the Bidi Tobacco Industry Harms Child-workers: Results From a Walk-through and Quantitative Survey

  • Kim, Jihyun (The Institute for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Rana, Sohel (Bridge of Community Development Foundation) ;
  • Lee, Wanhyung (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine) ;
  • Haque, Syed Emdad (Bridge of Community Development Foundation) ;
  • Yoon, Jin-Ha (Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2019.06.10
  • Accepted : 2020.02.25
  • Published : 2020.06.30
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Abstract

Objective: Bidi is an inexpensive, low-processed, hand-rolled tobacco product. In Bangladesh, especially in Rangpur, tobacco farming and bidi processing are common. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of bidi making on children working in bidi factories. Methods: This qualitative(walk-through survey) and quantitative(questionnaire-based survey and a urine cotinine level quantitation) study was conducted in Rangpur, Bangladesh in 2017. Study population included child-workers aged ≤14 years who were regularly employed as bidi makers. Findings: The results of the walk-through survey revealed hazardous working environments at bidi factories. For the quantitative survey, 171 child-workers were categorized into "less-working"(<5 hours/day) and "more-working"(≥5 hours/day) groups; additionally, "forced-working"(forced into work by parents) and "voluntary-working"(working voluntarily) groups were delineated within the same population. In the logistic regression analysis, odds ratios(ORs) of respiratory symptoms and unusual absence(absent ≥5 days/month) were higher in the "more-working" group than in the "less-working" group(unusual absence: OR, 2.91; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.43-5.94), and this association became higher in the "forced-working" group with longer working hours(OR, 5.68, 95%CI 2.30-14.00). Conclusions: Cheap, hand-rolled tobacco(bidi) is harmful to the health of bidi-making child-workers. Children in poverty bow to the demands of cheap labor and poverty and jeopardize their health and future prospects by working in bidi factories. Tobacco control policies should consider the social effects of tobacco beyond its biological effects.

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References

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