Table I.
Demographic characteristics of salt water fish (pilchard and anchovy) processing workers
| Demographic characteristics (n = 594) | |
|---|---|
| Age (yrs) | 36 ± 11 |
| Gender no. (%) | |
| - Female | 374 (63%) |
| - Male | 220 (37%) |
| Height (cm) | 164 ± 9 |
| - Female | 159±6 |
| - Male | 171±7 |
| Employment history | |
| Employment duration in current factory (yrs) | 10 ± 9 |
| Employment duration in current job (yrs) | 7 ± 7 |
| Employment duration in seafood industry prior to current employment (yrs) |
3 ± 4 |
| Current employment status | |
| - Seasonal | 409 (69%) |
| - Permanent | 176 (30%) |
| - Casual | 9 (1%) |
| Smoking history | |
| Tobacco smoking status: no. (%) | |
| - Current smokers | 305 (51%) |
| - Ex-smokers | 67 (11%) |
| - Non smokers | 222 (37%) |
| Packyears smoking | |
| - Current smokers | 9 ± 9 |
| - Ex-smokers | 11 ± 13 |
| Allergy history | |
| Family history of any allergy | 230 (39%) |
| - Asthma | 132 (22%) |
| - Hayfever | 85 (14%) |
| - Eczema | 67 (11%) |
| Seafood dietary history | |
| Consumption of any seafood type | 589 (99%) |
| - fish | 589 (99%) |
| - rocklobster/prawns | 421 (71%) |
| - oyster/mussels | 377 (64%) |
| - squid (calamari) | 354 (60%) |
| - abalone (perlemoen) | 164 (28%) |
| Eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA (% wt/wt; 20:5n-3) |
2.13 ± 1.43 |
Note: Continuous variables – mean ± S.D.; Categorical variables - number (%)