Occurrence of metabolic syndrome with relation to job profile among mine employees

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an emerging concern of modern times and has an increasing trend in developing countries because of the westernization of diet and lifestyle. The significance of diagnosis of this MS is to identify individuals at a high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Objective: To study the occurrence of MS among different categories of mine employees. Materials and Methods: Health surveillance data of 1116 mine employees were analyzed and classified according to their job profile as office workers, maintenance workers, machine operators, and helpers. The WHO criteria were used for the diagnosis of MS. Results: MS was present in 14.7% of the mine employees with highest among machine operators (19.6%) and least among helper group (10.4%). It was also observed that occurrence of MS was directly proportional to age. The occurrence of MS increased by 9%, 11.5%, 38.7%, and 40.6% in the age group of 18-30, 31-40, 41-50, and 51-60 years, respectively. Conclusion: MS is becoming a major health concern among mine employees. There is a need to establish regular educational programs and effective intervention strategies to promote healthy lifestyle for mine employees.