An Analysis on the Sense of Coherence Among Onboard Seafarers in Tandem with Dietary Habits and Self–perceived Oral Health

Shipping is an indispensable occupation that keeps the country’s economy galloping. Amidst profuse transportations, Sea transport is in an inflated demand because comparatively larger and bigger quantities can be shipped across the world through containers that are loaded onto a vessel. There are nearly 5,600 container ships that serves sea routes worldwide. A ship can reach its destined location only with help of a sedulous seafarer. The sense of coherence (SOC) plays a vital role among individuals coping with arduous toil, especially among seafarers. They fail to take care of their oral hygiene and dietary intake on their long expedition. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 200 seafarers through a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and it also documented oral health attitudes and behaviours. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. This study is intended to assess the sense of coherence among onboard seafarers and to explore their union with dietary habits and self-perceived oral health in the group of mariners. The samples were collected through a private shipping firm. A positive correlation of SOC with dietary habits in tandem with self-perceived oral health among seafarers was obtained. With a p-value of 0.05, the SOC was statistically significant when combined with dietary habits and self-perceived oral health. On long voyages, seafarers should acquire knowledge of a balanced food intake and also take preventive measures to maintain their oral hygiene under any circumstances.