Urban Chennai Research Articles

Community case studies: an interpretative phenomenological analysis on sexual abuse in urban Chennai.

This study attempts to explore the lived experiences of sexual abuse during COVID-19 in a big metropolitan city in India, with a special interest in understanding the contemporary problems faced by teenagers. Any Phenomenological enquiry begins with identifying and determining the suitability of the participants. In this case, the participants are teenage girls and boys, who have experienced one or other forms of sexual abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. By restricting the act of sexual abuse that happened during a pandemic, this research brings attention to the medium (material), social conditions, and the role of the cultural world in the act of sexual abuse. It begins by distributing a questionnaire to 500 participants to identify the participants who had experienced one or other forms of sexual abuse during the aforementioned time. Secondly, brief interviews with the identified participants are conducted to record their lived experience of sexual abuse. Using this collected narrated experience as a reservoir for phenomenological reflection, this research aims to uncover moments of lived experience emphasizing spatial, corporeal, and temporal aspects as well as provide greater depth in understanding sexual abuse in the context of teenage lives. It helps to understand the different forms of sexual abuse experienced by teenagers as well as portrays how space plays a major role in the act. This article aims to highlight the role of the material world in the act as well as how the social, political, and cultural contexts are materialized in the act of sexual abuse. Also, this article analyses how the existing intervention mechanisms support the prevention of sexual abuse in different social settings as well as emphasizes the gaps in the intervention mechanisms apropos the chosen narrative data. To sum up, this study aims to create awareness, provides prevention mechanisms considering the role of the material world, and advocates for SDG 16 (Promote justice, peaceful and inclusive societies) and SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls).

PM2.5 exposure, glycemic markers and incidence of type 2 diabetes in two large Indian cities

IntroductionExposure to fine particulate matter has been associated with several cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. However, such evidence mostly originates from low-pollution settings or cross-sectional studies, thus necessitating evidence from regions...

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Diabesity in Urban Chennai

Background: A large number of epidemiologic studies across the world indicate a growing link between obesity and diabetes. The metropolitan city of Chennai in South India is experiencing an alarming increase in diabetes and obesity. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for diabetes and obesity together termed as “diabesity” among adults in urban Chennai. Materials and Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional door-to-door study done as part of a large National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR)––a funded project aimed to understand patterns and determinants of health in South Asia. Of the 200 wards in Chennai, 34 wards were surveyed in the main project and two wards were selected randomly for this substudy. Five community enumeration blocks were selected using a systematic sampling technique. Participants aged ≥18 years were selected using a consecutive sampling method. Results: Of the 1138 participants studied, the prevalence of diabesity was found to be 34.3%(n = 390). Of the study participants, 74.8% had obesity (61.9%––generalized obesity; 68.5%––abdominal obesity) and 43.0% had diabetes. As age increased, the diabesity risk also increased gradually from 30 to 39 years (odds ratio [OR]: 3.6[95%, confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–8.9]) to 50–59 years (OR: 5.4[95%, CI: 2.2–13.2]), whereas there was a slight decrease in risk after 60 years (OR: 5.1[95%, CI: 2.1–12.3]). Females had nearly twice the risk of diabesity compared to men (OR: 1.8, P < 0.001), and physically inactive individuals had 1.7 times increased risk (P < 0.001). Conclusion: We report in this study that the prevalence of the dual metabolic defect (diabesity) is alarmingly high in urban Chennai. This study was an attempt to understand the epidemiology of diabesity.

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Ethical challenges faced by community mental health workers in urban Chennai.

Delivery of mental health interventions to youth in schools requires a cadre of community mental health workers (CMHWs) in addition to psychiatrists. Literature is sparse in the India context on the ethical and professional challenges faced by CMHWs, especially those working with youth. Hence, the aim of the study was to understand these challenges faced by CMHWs working in schools in urban Chennai and explore ways to overcome them. A qualitative study was done with CMHWs involved in the delivery of youth mental health (YMH) interventions, including mental health literacy, screening for mental disorders and mental health support to youth in schools in urban Chennai. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with the study participants and audio recorded. Transcription of the recording was done verbatim and coded for themes using a thematic analysis approach. Two FGDs were conducted with a total of eight participants. The mean (± standard deviation) age of the participants was 27 ± 3.7 years; all having a master's degree in either psychology, social work, or public health. The major themes that emerged were the meaning of ethics and professionalism, confidentiality, dilemma in decision making, incongruence between the requirements of student and school administration, and personal and professional challenges faced by CMHWs. Recommendations to overcome these challenges were also explored. The results indicate CMHWs face significant ethical challenges with confidentiality, and decision making while delivering YMH interventions in schools, highlighting the need for designing and implementing a framework to address these challenges.

Prevalence of Smoking Among Transgender Population Residing In Urban Chennai- A Cross Sectional Survey

In general, there is a lack of research on the transgender population and tobacco use. Findings from previous studies are in conflict regarding the use of tobacco products among transgender populations. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of current tobacco use among transgender population in and around Chennai city. A cross sectional survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of smoking among transgender. A direct interview was conducted using questionnaire related to smoking and transgender type. Descriptive statistics was used to give the prevalence, socio demographic variables and chi square test was used to compare the smoking habit with socio demographic data. The prevalence of smoking among transgender was forty percentage. While comparing age group and smoking habit or type of transgender(male to female and female to male) and smoking there was no significant association observed(p value>0.05). Around 60% of them had the habit of Alcohol intake. While comparing education and occupation with smoking behavior, there was a strong significant association (p value 0.006, 0.002) found in this study. Cigarette was the most common type of tobacco used by these populations. Tobacco in the form of cigarette was common among Transgender population. Future research is needed with an increased sample size to assess the quantity of cigarette intake. The data from this study can be used as a preliminary report to inform best and promising practices for tobacco control and prevention for the transgender population.

A Cross-sectional Study on Knowledge, Section Attitude, and Practice Regarding Notification of Tuberculosis Patients by Private Practitioners of Urban Chennai, India

Introduction: India accounts for one-fourth of global incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) with 2.79 million estimated cases annually. To improve and intensify case finding, the Government of India declared TB a notifiable disease in May 2012. It is now mandatory that all public and private health providers notify TB cases to the designated public health authorities. To facilitate notification, the central government has created a web-based, case-based notification system called NIKSHAY. Notification also provides support to the private sector in adherence to standards of TB care which helps in the monitoring of the patients, contact screening and adherence to the treatment. Aim: To assess the knowledge, opinion and barriers regarding TB notification and its processes amongst private practitioners offering TB services. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with both analytical and descriptive components which was conducted on the private practitioners of urban Chennai for a period of three months from April 2021 to June 2021. Study was done on a convenient sample of 150 private practitioners in Urban Chennai. Any registered medical practitioner with a bachelor degree in medicine (MBBS) with private practice in Urban Chennai with a minimum of 1 year practice was included in the study. The knowledge, attitude and practice of notification of TB among private practitioners and other proportions were summarised into percentages and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The categorical data was analysed by Chisquare (χ2 ) test. Strength of associations was assessed through odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. Tha analysis of the data was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0.1.1. Results: Amongst the total sample of 150 study participants, 90% had said that TB notification was mandatory, of whom 80% said that they had prior sensitisation on the notification procedures. Only 46% were aware of the honorarium given after notification. Attitude of the study participants towards notification though 100% of the study participants agreed that TB notification was necessary, while 56.7% said that government should do more towards the sensitisation of the notification procedures. Only 5.3% of the study participants had initiated treatment on their own and 4% had started treatment based on clinical suspicion Nikshay registration was more among those whose duration of practice was more than or equal to 5 years (p=0.03), those who had prior sensitisation on TB notification procedures (p<0.001), those who had TB patients in their Outpatient Department (OPD) (p<0.001), and among those who were aware of the honorarium given for notification (p<0.001). Conclusion: Nikshay registration was significantly more among those who had prior sensitisation and those who were aware about the honorarium that they will receive after notifying. This shows that simple awareness creation can significantly increase the Nikshay registration thereby increasing the TB notification.

Domestic violence and its associated factors among married women in urban Chennai: A cross-sectional study.

Context:Domestic violence against married women is a sensitive issue, which is prevalent in many societies and countries across the world. One in every three women experiences it in some form across the world, with prevalence ranging from 10 to 69% across various settings.Aims:To find the extent of domestic violence in Urban Chennai, Tamil Nadu and to find the factors associated with it.Settings and Design:A cross-sectional study is done in the urban field practice area of Saveetha medical college and hospital, Thirumazhisai area in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.Methods and Material:The participants who matched our inclusion criteria and who were residing in the area were included in the study. Convenient sampling method was used to collect data. A semi-structured questionnaire was used.Statistical Analysis Used:Data was analyzed by calculating Percentages and Proportions and was presented in suitable tabular. Statistical test like Odds ratio and Chi-Square was used for finding the factors associated with the study variables. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with domestic violence.Results:The overall prevalence of domestic violence was 38.2%, with physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional violence comprising of 28.7%, 9.1%, 12.6%, and 15.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis found that the involvement of women in decision-making at their home, alcohol abuse among husbands, religion and husband’s education (P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with domestic violence.Conclusions:The prevalence of domestic violence recorded was high. Moral support and necessary measures needs to be taken to empower women against it.

A Review on Effective Use of Daylight Harvesting Using Intelligent Lighting Control Systems for Sustainable Office Buildings in India

Lighting is a fundamental requirement of our daily life. A lot of research and development is carried out in the field of daylight harvesting, which is the need of the hour. One of the most desirable attributes of daylight harvesting is that daylight is available universally and it is a very clean and cost-efficient form of energy. By using the various methods of daylight harvesting, it is possible to attain the global Sustainable Development Goals. Daylight harvesting in the most fundamental sense is the lighting strategy control of the artificial light in an interior space where daylight is also present so that the required illumination level is achieved. This way, a lot of energy can be saved. Recently, in addition to energy efficiency, other factors such as cost-efficiency, user requirements such as uniform illuminance, and different levels of illuminance at different points are being considered. To simulate the actual daylight contribution for an office building in urban Chennai, India before construction, ECO TECH software is used by providing the inputs such as building orientation, and reflectance’s values of the ceiling, wall, and floor to analyze the overall percentage of daylight penetration available versus the percentage prescribed in the Indian Green Building Council to obtain the credit points. Thus, the impact of architectural design on daylight harvesting and daylight predictive technology has experimented with office building in Chennai, India. This article will give an insight into the current trends in daylight harvesting technology and intends to provide a deeper understanding and spark a research interest in this widely potential field.

Effectiveness on knowledge about computer vision syndrome among medical coding trainee in medical coding training institute in urban Chennai, Tamil Nadu - A cross- sectional study.

Context:Electronic devices, laptops, tablets, ipad and smart phones are an integral part of one's life both in work and personal space. Excessive usage of these devices had led to health-related problems of which computer vision syndrome (CVS) is at risk of becoming a major public health issue.Aims:Our study aimed to assess the pre-test and post-test level of knowledge regarding CVS among the medical coding trainees and also to determine the effectiveness (Video Teaching Programme) of knowledge about the CVS among them.Methods and Material:After obtaining ethical committee clearance using universal sampling method 480 medical coding trainees working in a firm was included in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to interview and a video teaching programme was given between the pre and post-test sessions for about 45 minutes regarding the effects of Computer Vision Syndrome.Results:The level of knowledge about CVS among medical coding trainees in the pre-test and post-test was 280 (58.3%) and 8 (1.7%) had inadequate knowledge, respectively. With regards to adequate level of knowledge 24 (3%) and 328 (68.3%) had in pre-test and post-test phase, respectively. The comparison of knowledge shows a very good improvement among the medical coding trainees which was significant (p < 0.001).Conclusions:The study highlights health education as an important factor in increasing the knowledge. From a primary care point of view, knowledge regarding CVS helps in differentiating and addressing the ocular symptoms, headache and shoulder pain symptoms of other aetiology if history is elicited properly.

DIETARY PRACTICES AND SELF ADHERENCE TO TYPE 2 DIABETIC MANAGEMENT AMONG URBAN POPULATION OF CHENNAI METROPOLITON CITY-A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: The prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus is 2.4% among adults in rural population and 4-11.6 % in urban population. In recent years, the simultaneous acceleration of diabetes and obesity worldwide has led to increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits. Even children exposed to "junk" food and without enough exercise have now experienced obesity and diabetes. The term metabolic syndrome (formerly called 'Syndrome X') has been applied to an increasingly common disorder in which abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, such as elevated lipid profiles, are accompanied by a constellation of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Objectives: To observe the dietary patterns of diabetic patients of urban Chennai population. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among diabetic patients attending the general out patient department of Balaji medical college hospital Chennai. Patients with following blood glucose levels were taken as Diabetics, F ≥126 mg/dl, PP≥200 mg/dl. Individuals diagnosed and treated for the above conditions for one year or more will be treated as participants. Purposive sampling was used to achieve the sample size of 164 participants. After obtaining the informed consent, the patients were enrolled for the study. Data was analysed using SPSS ver.24. Descriptive data was given in frequency and percentage. chi-square test was used to compare the data. p-value &lt; 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Result: Among the diabetic patients, their mean level of fasting sugar was 140 and PP was 236 with SD 44.032 and 62.674. More than 65% of the Urban population follow some other diet restrictions such as low salt, low cholesterol and fat. Physical activity of the population are 57% of going for walking also 39% of them are had no physical activity at all. Conclusion: The dietary change coupled with , the intake of cholesterol rich food and lack of physical activity seem to have contributed to the urban population's high prevalence rate of obesity.

Eruption Pattern of Permanent Molars among School Children in Chennai

Background: Estimation of the age of an individual is essential investigation in medicolegal cases,&#x0D; especially involving children and adolescents. Among the various factors used for age estimation, eruption of&#x0D; permanent teeth is one of them. Several factors influence the eruption of teeth, including genetic, nutritional&#x0D; and hormonal. This study was carried out to analyze the pattern of eruption of permanent teeth among school&#x0D; going children in urban Chennai.&#x0D; Method: This cross sectional study was carried out among 983 school children between the age group&#x0D; of 4-14 years. Two schools, one belonging to the lower socioeconomic status and the other belonging to&#x0D; the higher socioeconomic status were taken up for this study. Eruption of permanent teeth were examined&#x0D; clinically.&#x0D; Results: Majority of the first molars erupted by7-7.5 years of age (95%) while majority of the central&#x0D; incisors erupted between 8-9 years. Lateral incisors were completely erupted between 9.5-10 years and first&#x0D; premolar were completely erupted between 12.5-12.9 years. Both second premolar and canine erupted by&#x0D; 13.5-13.9 years.&#x0D; Conclusion: The visual observation of eruption of permanent teeth is a non invasive procedure and does not&#x0D; require any special machines like that of radiography. This method of assessing the age of the individual is&#x0D; considerably easier, economical and safe. Hazards of exposing the individual to radiation can be prevented.

A Cross Sectional Study to Assess the Quality of Life among People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in an Urban Area of Tamil Nadu

Introduction: The need of adhering to treatment and restriction on the food choices adversely affect the satisfaction and happiness a diabetic can gain out of everyday life. Quality of life is an important component of diabetes management. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted among the Diabetic patients residing in urban Chennai to assess their quality of life with the Quality of Life Instrument for Indian Diabetes Patients questionnaire. A total of 300 patients were selected using simple random sampling. Frequencies and percentages were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Among the 300 study subjects, 65% were males and 35% were females. 56% of the study subjects were Graduates and around 50% come under the Income category of Rs.25, 000 to Rs.50, 000. Around 30% of the subjects said that their job is not affected due to Diabetes. 50% of the subjects complained of difficulty in performing vigorous activities such as cycling, running, etc. 75% of the subjects complained of frequent urination. Quality of life was found to depreciate with increasing age, years living with diabetes and lower income class. Conclusion: Quality of life assessment and improvement is essential for appropriate diabetes management.

Homeopathy: Treatment seeking behavior among semi-urban population in Chennai

Aims and objective: To assess the Treatment seeking behavior of homeopathy among 30-55 age group population in semi urban Chennai. Settings and design: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2019 To September 2019 in the semi-urban area of Poonamalle, Chennai. Materials and Methods: A total of 220 study participants were selected by cluster sampling and between the age group of 30 -55 were interviewed by semi-structure questionnaire.Results: The finding of the study shows that majorities (31%) of respondents were graduated. Socio-economically, the majority of them belong to the lower-middle-class group. Most of the participants were housewives. The majority of respondents know about homeopathy via treatments of friends and family (39%), TV & Newspaper (39%).Minimal number of the study people (44.1%) believed homeopathy medicine is working and it having curative power. But the majority of study peoples replied that homeopathic treatment system is not very common in a few public, indicating the need for more public awareness on it. Majority of study people (70.5%) not taking homeopathy due to lack of awareness of homeopathy treatment, lack of government hospital department for homeopathy treatment and non-availability of homeopathy pharmacy.Conclusion: Major lack of awareness is due to lack of availability homeopathy clinics and pharmacies in rural and semi-urban areas. So, increasing the availability helpful for homeopathy easily reaches every corner of the rural and semi-urban area. Every homeopath should take major responsibility to create awareness and helps the people to get better treatment in homeopathy.

Social determinants in access to tobacco prevention and cessation support services among migrant construction workers in Urban Chennai, India.

Context:In spite of the high burden of tobacco consumption among migrants, disparities in the awareness of tobacco-related harms, health-seeking behaviors, and intention to switch to lower risk alternatives remain understudied area.Aims:Assess the social determinants in access to tobacco prevention and cessation support services among migrant construction workers in urban Chennai, India.Settings and Designs:A community-based, cross-sectional study design.Materials and Methods:A questionnaire adapted from GATS survey was used among migrants working across 13 construction sites of Chennai during May–September 2019. A counseling session was provided for the migrant workers who were willing to quit.Statistical Analysis Used:Data entered in MS Excel was analyzed using SPSS and multivariate analysis was performed.Results:Among 345 migrants, 338 (98%) were currently using tobacco and smokeless tobacco (57.4%) consumers. In spite of awareness (84.6%) about tobacco ill-effects on health, only 48% care providers enquired of the tobacco use in the previous one year. Pictorial health warnings were seen by 315 migrants (91.3%) in the past one month, but only 110 migrants (34.9%) considered quitting. The majority (341 migrants, 98.4%) have not heard of the lower risk alternatives such as nicotine gums and lozenges and only 89 migrants (26.33%) agreed to try lower risk alternatives for tobacco on trial basis. Migrant construction workers who were using tobacco less than 5 years (P = 0.001) were more likely to try lower risk alternatives.Conclusions:Reappraising social determinants in access to tobacco prevention and cessation support services to migrant construction workers may be a promising strategy to reduce health harms of tobacco intake.

A Cross Sectional Study: Depression Status among Elderly Using Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in Urban Chennai

A Cross Sectional Study: Depression Status among Elderly Using Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in Urban Chennai

Awareness and knowledge of breast cancer and its screening methods among female undergraduate Allied Health Science students of a college in semi urban Chennai

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common cancer overall. There were over 2 million new cases in 2018 diagnosed worldwide. The Indian Council of Medical Research found that an estimated 1.5 lakh new cases of breast cancer were reported in 2016, making it the most common cancer among Indians.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted with the total sample size of 256 female participants which includes first year to interns. Pre-designed semi structured questionnaire was given to the students. The knowledge was assessed in terms of risk factors, symptoms, methods of diagnosis and self-breast examination. The statistical analysis used was MS Excel 2019.Results: Out of 256 female undergraduate Allied health science students, 142 (55.47%) had good knowledge while 114 (44.53%) had poor awareness and knowledge about breast cancer and its screening methods.Conclusions: As many of the students have low knowledge on breast cancer and its screening techniques. Hence some activities on breast cancer should be planned to improve the awareness among Allied health science students.

Vital Factors Influencing Purchase of Over the Counter (Otc) Medicines: Brand Experiences of Gen X and new age Indian women

Generic Medical stores are opened in India by as Government Initiative called JAN-AUSHADHI in order to bring down the Health Care Budget of every Citizen .At this point of time a study regarding the influence of Purchase of Over the counter Medicines (OTC) by any individual has to be probed in .The major difference between these generic stores and the conventional retailers is the brand name of the medicine and the company’s brand image .Thereby this study is to envisage about the contribution of Brand Loyalty, Brand Image, Brand Resonance, Brand Trust with the Brand Experience. A conceptual regression model was designed and named as Role of brands for purchasing OTC brands Among Indian Women. The study highlights different generation and confines to Gen X and Gen X and New Age Indian Women who fall between 28 to 53 years with women across various professions such as advocates, doctors, academicians, engineering and technocrats, administrators, media/entertainment, entrepreneur and others. Around 736 questionnaires were collected in and around Urban Chennai, Semi Urban, Neyveli, Rural Soolurpet, Tirupur of India. The finest predicted relationship amid independent variables and the dependent variable was done by means of Multiple Regression by using Statistical Package for Social Science SPSS (21.0). The result shows that the brand experience of Gen X and New Age Indian Women professionals is not significant with the brand loyalty, brand image but they are significant with brand resonance, brand trust variables. Meanwhile Brand loyalty has a significant relationship with brand resonance, brand trust and not significant with brand image. This research shall errand the policy makers and pharmaceutical marketers to recognize regarding the brand experience of Gen X and New Age Indian Women.

Less Balances More: A Study on Dynamic Habitable Micro-Living in Urban Chennai

Less Balances More: A Study on Dynamic Habitable Micro-Living in Urban Chennai

A Comparative Study of age of Menarche between two Generations and Correlation of age at Menarche of present Generation with Nutritional status and Socio Economic Factors

Objective: The present study was undertaken to compare the age of menarche between two generations and to observe the correlation of age at menarche of present generation with nutritional status and socio economic factors. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted at department of Physiology, Saveetha Medical College, Chennai. A total of the 400 apparently healthy and willing daughter–mother pairs were included in the study. All the parameters were recorded by standard methods mentioned in the literature. Results: The mean menarcheal age of the daughter was found to be 12.72±1.599. The mean menarcheal age of the mother was calculated to be 13.97±1.265. The difference was found to be 1.25±0.334 which is statistically significant i.e. p<0.001. The association between the menarcheal age and nutritional status i.e. Body Mass Index (BMI) has been established to be a strong statistically significant one at the level of 0.05. There is a association between the menarcheal age and socio economic status which is weak i.e. it is not statistically that significant. Conclusion: The mean age at menarche of the daughters was slightly lower than their mothers in Urban Chennai. Although the small difference in age at menarche could be an artifact of different study sites and sample characteristics, it may also reflect the downward trend of onset of menarche taking place in Urban Chennai. The study has also established that there is an association between the menarcheal age of the present generation with the nutritional status and socio economic factors.

Analysis of breath carbon monoxide among urban automobile drivers

Background: Air pollution caused by automobiles can pose serious health hazard due to urbanization. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the six criteria for air pollution related to urbanization. Urban drivers are occupationally at risk of exposure to CO. Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to assess the levels of CO in breath among the exposed group of urban automobile drivers and to compare breath CO levels among various group of drivers based on their years of experience or duration of exposure. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of breath sample for the presence of CO was conducted on automobile drivers (n = 101) using different type of motor vehicles in urban Chennai using breath CO analyzer (Vitalograph 29700). Mean CO levels were compared among groups using ANOVA. Proportion in groups was assessed by χ2/Fisher’s exact test. Results: The mean CO of the breath analysis was 2.45 parts per million (ppm) which corresponds to the mean carboxyhemoglobin of 0.68%. Exhaled breath CO was 3–4 ppm in 22.8% of the drivers. 8.9% of the drivers had exhaled breath CO above 9 ppm. Statistically significant difference was observed between duty hours and exhaled breath CO (P < 0.01). Drivers who were smokers had a significantly higher breath CO (P < 0.00). Drivers who used gas as fuel were having statistically significant higher breath CO (P < 0.05). Conclusions: CO is potential environmental toxin of air due to vehicle exhaust. Drivers are constantly exposed, which is evident by our report of having higher breath CO with long duty hours. Smoking adds to environmental exposure of CO to automobile drivers.