Effects of an Educational Intervention Program on Marble Factory Workers

January 22, 2025 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of an Educational Intervention Program on Lung Function and Ergonomic Hazards Among Marble Factory Workers: Quasi-experimental Study

Marble cutting exposes workers to dust, increasing risk of lung diseases like asthma, COPD, silicosis, and asbestosis. Many marble cutters in rural areas lack awareness of these risks and work without proper protection. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has over 4000 marble factories employing over a million laborers, mostly unskilled and vulnerable. Workers face health risks from heavy lifting, poor posture, and respirable dust. Ergonomic disorders are also common due to poorly designed workstations, repetitive motions, and straining postures. Musculoskeletal Symptoms (MSS) can progress into Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), affecting worker well-being and productivity. Findings can inform targeted educational programs and interventions to improve respiratory health and reduce ergonomic risks in the marble industry.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Occupational hazards, such as dust exposure during marble cutting, can significantly increase the risk of lung diseases in workers. This includes common ailments such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), as well as more serious conditions such as silicosis and asbestosis. Unfortunately, many marble cutters from rural areas may not be aware of these health risks, which can lead to them working without proper protection. Heavy load lifting, poor work posture, and the production of respirable dust in marble factories contribute to the health risks faced by these workers. Just like dust exposure during marble cutting can harm a worker's lungs, similarly, working in this industry carries a high risk of ergonomic disorders. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ergonomic risk factors are responsible for 35% of workplace injuries in 2021, resulting in MSDs. An extensive amount of research has been conducted globally; however, limited literature exists on this particular topic in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, specifically in Peshawar. The findings of the study can help inform the development and implementation of targeted educational programs and interventions aimed at improving respiratory health and reducing ergonomic risks in the marble industry.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • AL
      • Islamabad, AL, Pakistan, 44000
        • Marble factories in Peshawar

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult male marble factory workers,
  • Age 20-55years
  • Working for more than 1year
  • Working time(hours): minimum 06 hours daily

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Workers with pre-existing lung diseases
  • Workers with any other occupational hazard
  • Workers who are not willing to participate in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Educational intervention program on machine workers
Use proper protective gears like mask, glasses, glove and proper foot wear. Maintain proper posture. Avoid repetitive movement.
Other: Educational Intervention Program for machine workers
A detailed Educational Intervention Program for marble factory workers working on Machines.
Experimental: Educational intervention program on manual workers
Use proper protective gears like mask, glasses, glove and proper foot wear. Maintain proper posture during heavy load lifting. Take breaks during prolong period of work.
Other: Educational Intervention Program for manual workers
A detailed Educational Intervention Program for marble factory workers working manually.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Forced vital capacity (FVC)
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Forced vital capacity (FVC) measured through digital spirometer. If the value of FVC is within 80% of the reference value, the results are considered normal.
4 weeks
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measured through digital spirometer. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) measured through digital spirometer. Three zones of measurement are commonly used to interpret peak flow rates. Normal value of PEFR is (80-100%). Green zone indicates 80 to 100 percent of the usual or normal peak flow reading, yellow zone indicates 50 to 79 percent of the usual or normal peak flow readings, and red zone indicates less than 50 percent of the usual or normal peak flow readings.
4 weeks
Forced expiratory volume in 1sec (FEV1)
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Forced expiratory volume in 1sec (FEV1) measured through digital spirometer. If the value of FEV1 is within 80% of the reference value, the results are considered normal
4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA)
Time Frame: 4 Weeks
RULA evaluates the exposure to posture and force/external load as well as repeated and static posture effects.
4 Weeks
Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA)
Time Frame: 4 Weeks
REBA evaluates the exposure to posture and force/external load as well as repeated and static posture effects. The REBA has two additional assessment factors of coupling and dynamic loading effects, compared to the RULA
4 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Riphah International University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Suman Sheraz, PhD*, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 10, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 24, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 24, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 22, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Waseem Ullah

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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