A nationwide skin protection program introduced in hairdressing vocational schools was followed by a decreased risk of occupational hand eczema

Abstract

Background: Compliance with glove use and safe work practices are important factors in primary prevention of occupational hand eczema (OHE) in hairdressers. Objective: To assess the risk OHE and compliance with skin protective measures in hairdressers trained before and after implementation of a nationwide skin protection program in Danish hairdressing vocational schools in 2011. Methods: A repeated cross-sectional study was performed. A questionnaire was sent in 2009 and 2020. The Danish Labour Market Supplementary Pension Scheme provided information on yearly payments from the hairdressing profession. Results: A response rate of 66.6% (305/460) was obtained in the 2009 survey and of 29.9% (363/1215) in the 2020 survey. The career time prevalence of OHE decreased from 42.8% to 29.0% (adjusted odds ratio 0.55 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.77) and the incidence rate of OHE decreased from 57.5 (95%CI 48.4-68.4) to 42.0 (95%CI 34.6-50.9) per 1000 person years (incidence rate ratio 0.73 [95%CI 0.56-0.95] between the two surveys). A statistically significant (P <.05) increase in glove use when doing wet-work and when handling hair dyes, permanent wave solutions and bleaching products was observed in the 2020 compared to the 2009 survey. Conclusion: Our data suggest that skin protection training during apprenticeship reduces the risk of OHE in hairdressers. The lack of primary prevention of OHE in hairdressing vocational schools may be a missed opportunity in the prevention of the disease. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Primary prevention Occupational hairdressers contact dermatitis disposable gloves

Index Keywords

adult adverse event cross-sectional study female human male questionnaire Cross-Sectional Studies Humans Article risk factor Vocational education controlled study career comparative study major clinical study occupational exposure school Schools prevalence evidence based practice protocol compliance prevention and control health survey hairdresser incidence occupational eczema patch test allergic contact dermatitis complication eczema Dermatitis, Allergic Contact Dermatitis, Occupational bleaching agent hair dye Danish citizen hand eczema occupational hazard population research skin protection time factor hand disease Hand Dermatoses

Author Affiliations

Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Department of Medical Informatics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany

Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Funding & Acknowledgements

Grant: 20093

This study was funded by an unrestricted grant from the Danish hairdressers and beauticians union. The funder was not involved in the study design, data collection, data analysis or manuscript preparation. The Danish hairdressers and Beauticians Union provided social security number on all hairdressers graduating from 2004 to 2007 and 2015 to 2018. Information on sex and date of birth is encoded in the social security number. Statistics Denmark provided postal address for all identified hairdressers. The Danish Labour Market supplementary Pension Scheme (ATP) provided information on payments made from the hairdressing trade from all identified hairdressers, thereby indicating whether a hairdresser was still working. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all hairdressers graduating from 1985 to 2007 in May 20093 and to all hairdressers graduating from 2008 to 2018 in May 2020. In the present study, only hairdressers graduating from 2004 to 2007 who received a questionnaire in May 2009 and all hairdressers graduating from 2015 to 2018 who received a questionnaire in May 2020 were included (Figure 1).

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A nationwide skin protection program introduced in hairdressing vocational schools was followed by a decreased risk of occupational hand eczema

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