Objective To identify work priorities and dissemination goals of occupational disease prevention by questionnaires interviewing the public about the awareness and attitudes towards occupational disease prevention and related laws in Shanghai.
Methods Convenience sampling method was used to recruit 7 876 participants from crowded public places in Shanghai. Chi-square test was employed for statistical analysis.
Results Of the participants investigated, 95.9% of them knew the law and 95.7% were aware of compensation. They considered the municipal government and the health sectors should be responsible for occupational disease prevention. Most people praised the occupational disease prevention achievement, and only 8.7% reported negative comments. In regard of attitudes towards occupational disease prevention, 53.5% of the participants didn't recognize occupational hazards in their workplaces; and the participants reported less common knowledge on acid/alkali, painting, and welding hazards prevention, but the male participants showed better related knowledge than the female. The qualified rate of occupational disease related knowledge increased as the increase of age or education level.
Conclusion Pertinent approaches should developed for future occupational health education, in collaboration with society, enterprises, and individuals with different educational background and from various job categories. Occupational health and occupational safety weigh equally in health education. Moreover, identification of critical occupational hazards, target population, and key industries should also be considered in order to improve worker's awareness of occupational disease prevention and protect their health.
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