Hubungan Karakteristik dan Personal Hygiene dengan Keluhan Kesehatan Kulit pada Pedagang Thrift Pasar Melati Kota Medan

Abstract

Skin health disorders are among the common conditions experienced by workers exposed to unhygienic environments and materials, including secondhand clothing (thrift) vendors. Pasar Melati in Medan City is one of the major centers for imported secondhand clothing trade, with high levels of buying and selling activities, thereby increasing the risk of skin health disorders due to direct exposure to contaminated clothing with dust or microorganisms, as well as poor personal hygiene practices. This study aimed to examine the relationship between seller characteristics and personal hygiene with skin health disorders among secondhand clothing vendors at Pasar Melati, Medan City. An analytical design with a cross sectional approach was employed, involving a total of 55 respondents selected using total sampling technique. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Chi-Square and Fisher’s Exact tests with a significance level of 0.05. The results revealed a significant relationship between age (p = 0.02) and personal hygiene (p = 0.03) with skin health disorders, whereas gender (p = 0.73) educational level (p = 0.85), and contact duration (p = 0,16), showed no significant relationship. These findings indicate that age plays an important role in the occurrence of skin health disorders among thrift vendors, with individuals aged over 40 years having a higher risk compared to those under 40 years and thrift vendor with poor personal hygiene have a higher skin disorders risk compared to those with good personal hygiene. The results are expected to serve as input for health authorities and market management to conduct health education on the importance of maintaining personal and environmental hygiene, and to encourage vendors to adopt clean and healthy living behaviors to prevent skin health disorders in the market environment.