Symptoms of health and well-being
The participating street vendors were interviewed
face-to-face by the researcher and trained staff daily
using a questionnaire which was divided into two
parts, general characteristics and a daily symptom
diary. On the first few days of the interview, the researcher
explained about the symptoms to each subject
to assure that they understood the differences
among symptoms enquired about. The symptoms in
the diary were grouped into 3 categories as the following;1)
upper respiratory symptoms e.g. nasal congestion,
sore throat or cold14, 2) lower respiratory symptoms
e.g. coughing, phlegm, wheezing, chest tightness
or shortness of breath,14 and 3) other health
symptoms e.g. headache, stomach upset, fever, eye
irritation, dizziness and weakness. The street vendors
were interviewed for any symptoms everyday for 61
days. The percentage of these reported symptoms
were then calculated.