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Lifestyles, flying and associated health problems in flight attendants

Dept of Environmental Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641046 Email: lekhasharma@ hotmail.com

Aims: This study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of flying on Indian male and female flight attendants (FAs), flying for over 10 years and up to 30 years.

Methods: The FAs selected for this study were subjected to the same set of conditions, such as number of hours flown per month and flight routes. Questionnaires were prepared, based on complaints heard on a regular basis, and also after talking to a small sample of FAs. Nearly 100 completed questionnaires were returned, from 500 delivered directly to FAs by post. In addition to this, we met 130 FAs either before their departure or after their arrival and secured completed questionnaires from them, being sure to maintain anonymity.

Results: According to this study there are five major problems faced by the FAs: Stress (88.85%) Back pain (72.65%) Loss of memory (67.47%) Headaches (58.42%) Loss of hearing (51.37%) 88.85% of FAs have reported feeling stressed `often' or `sometimes'. Many participants felt that if the work environment were more employee-friendly their stress level might come down. Back pain was reported by 72.65% of FAs which, according to them, could be largely remedied by being provided with better equipment and user-friendly galleys. Loss of memory was prevalent in 67.47% of FAs studied. 58.42% of FAs suffer from headaches. Stress, loss of memory and headaches seem to share the same etiology such as hypoxia, jetlag and irregular sleep. Diminished hearing, prevalent in 51.37% of FAs, was not a major cause of worry but was largely perceived as an inconvenience.

Conclusions: These occupational health problems of flight attendants require serious and immediate attention.

Key Words: flight attendants • stress • loss of memory • jetlag • back pain

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