Abstract
BackgroundPrevious research highlighted the importance of identifying the modifiable risk factors among shift workers in specific industries to take effective preventative and therapeutic steps to decrease the risks associated with non-communicable chronic diseases.AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk factors among shift workers within the automotive industry.SettingThis study was conducted at a car manufacturing company in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.MethodsThe study employed a cross-sectional quantitative design. Body mass index was calculated, and the American College for Sports Medicine classification for normal weight, overweight and obesity was used to assess the weight status of the workers. Fasting blood glucose and cholesterol as well as blood pressure (BP) were also measured.ResultsSeventy-five automotive shift workers participated in the research. Twenty-three per cent of the participants had no risk factors, 30.6% had one risk factor, 34.7% had two risk factors and only 5.3% exhibited four risk factors. Sixty-six percent of participants were classified as either pre-obese or obese, while 55% were hypertensive. Systolic BP (r = 0.258; p < 0.05), diastolic BP (r = 0.342; p < 0.01), cholesterol (r = 0.258; p < 0.05) and age (r = 0.271; p < 0.05) significantly correlated with body mass index.ConclusionThis study highlights the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among employees in the automotive industry. However, it does not show any risk factors for metabolic diseases.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (2017), 15 million people die annually because of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
All variables that were included for analysis related positively and significantly with body mass index (BMI) except for glucose (Table 2)
This study examined the cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile of automotive industry workers from a developing country, and the relationship between BMI and various risk factors, which included blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, glucose, age and gender
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (2017), 15 million people die annually because of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Non-communicable diseases are already among the top causes of death in South Africa, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) the leading cause in this category (Nojilana et al 2016; World Health Organization 2017). Various researchers have linked shift work, especially night shift work, to increase in weight (Marquezea et al 2012; Puttonen, Harma & Hublin 2010 ) and a heightened risk of developing CVDs (Vyas et al 2012) and metabolic diseases. Previous research highlighted the importance of identifying the modifiable risk factors among shift workers in specific industries to take effective preventative and therapeutic steps to decrease the risks associated with non-communicable chronic diseases
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