Objective: To assess the adverse influence of carpet weaving on lung functions and the nurtritional status of children employed in such factories.
Design: Comparison of the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) of the study group with controls of similar socio-economic status and correlate it with anthropometric values.
Setting: Field study.
Subjects: One hundred and ten boys, 6-15 years of age engaged in 23 carpet weaving factories of Jaipur city.
Outcome measures: Linear regression analysis using age, height and weight as independent variables and PEFR as the dependent variable.
Results: PEFR of carpet weaving children were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than controls for all except 6-7 years group. The height, weight and chest circumference of these children were also lower (p < 0.05). PEFR did not show significant difference when children were grouped according to their height.
Conclusions: Children working in carpet weaving factories are shorter and lighter compared to normal school going children. As a consequence of the growth retardation, their PEFR values were also lower as compared to normal children.