Health effects of fish processing among artisanal fish processors in Epe local government area, Lagos state, Nigeria

This study aimed to assess the health effects of fish processing among artisanal fish processors (AFP) in Epe Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria.A total of 120 respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling procedures.Stage one is purposive selection of Epe LGA, stage two is the selection of eight (8) wards from 19 wards in the LGA, lastly, random selection of 15 AFP from each of the ward selected.Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used.Results revealed that majority (97.5%) of the processors were female with mean age of 38 years and mean household size of 7 persons.Furthermore, 59.2% of the fish processors processed sea fish with average processing experience of 13 years and mean monthly income of ₦55,784.00k.The major health effects of fish processing in the study area were eye irritation, back pain and sprain, excess heat/cold, respiratory ailment, malaria, skin cuts and burns.Treatment sought during illness was traditional and orthodox (54.2 %) and higher proportion (58.3%) depends on family and friends as a coping strategy during illness.Logistic regression revealed that sex, age, marital status, years of fish processing (p˂0.01)labour source, frequency of processing (p˂0.10) and processing medium (p˂0.05) were significantly associated with the health issues experienced by AFP.It can be concluded that AFP in the study area was affected by various occupational health issues.Thus, it is recommended AFP should be sensitized on preventive measures (such as regular use of masks, gloves, gumboots, check-ups etc.) to minimize occupational health hazards associated with fish processing.