Occupational Assessments of Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases in Labors: An Application of Metabolic Syndrome Scoring Index.

Ching-Yuan Lin,Chih-Ming Lin

doi:10.3390/ijerph17207539

Abstract

Unlike a traditional diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS), a numerical MS index can present individual fluctuations of health status over time. This study aimed to explore its value in the application of occupational health. Using a database of physiological and biochemical tests and questionnaires, data were collected from 7232 participants aged 20 to 64 years who received occupational health screenings at a health screening institution in 2018. Using confirmatory factor analysis, five components of MS were used to design an MS severity scoring index, which was then used to evaluate the risks of occupation factors. Waist circumference was the largest loading factor compared with the other MS components. Participants who worked in the traditional industrial, food processing, or electronic technology industries had higher MS severity than those in the logistics industry. Those who worked as a manager or over five years had a relatively high severity. The research showed that assessments based on an MS severity score are applicable when the risk factors of suboptimal health are involved. By monitoring the scores over time, healthcare professionals can propose preventive strategies in time, thus enhancing the effectiveness of occupational health examination services.

Highlights

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and Type 2 diabetes
Even though the prevalence was lower in women, it still differed from that in men, as there was a gradual increase in the prevalence among women older than 50 years
Regardless of gender, the subjects with MS mostly had a severity score that was higher than zero; among the subjects without MS, there were a notable proportion of them who had a severity score higher than zero, while very few had a severity score higher than two. This shows that a severity score between zero and two can be used to observe the coexistence of MS in a subject, in which men have a higher ratio of coexistence

Summary

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and Type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of MS has increased in line with rising obesity rates and aging populations. MS had grown 30%, and in some cases even doubled, over the past decade [1]. Despite this growth, MS prevention can be achieved by assessing and ameliorating the relevant risk factors, including personal lifestyle habits and socio-economic conditions (occupation, educational level, and income) [2,3]. With the aid of health education, the recommendations for personal disease prevention provided by physicians for different populations grouped by their risk of developing the aforementioned diseases can help promote and enhance their health [5,6,7]

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