Abstract
<p><strong>Aim of the Study:</strong> The present study aimed to determine the risk of prehypertension and hypertension and its association with certain occupational, sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants. <strong>Material and Methods:</strong> A descriptive study was conducted among 180 female cotton mill workers in the production sector of two cotton spinning mills in Central Travancore, Kerala. A questionnaire was framed to elicit information regarding occupational, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. Blood pressure readings and anthropometric measurements like body height and weight were recorded. <strong>Results:</strong> The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among the workers were found to be 30% and 7.22% respectively. It was observed that age and body mass index were statistically significant with prehypertension and hypertension (p&lt;0.05) compared to the number of years of employment in the mills, education, annual family income and physical activity which were not statistically significant. Pearson’s correlation test revealed that age and body mass index were positively correlated with mean blood pressure. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The present study observed a higher percentage of prehypertension among the workers. This stresses on the importance of early identification and control of more modifiable risk factors in the prevention and treatment of prehypertension and hypertension. </p>
Highlights
A blue-collar worker is a skilled or unskilled person who performs manual labour[1]
A descriptive study design was conducted in February 2020 among 180 female cotton mill workers in the production sector of two cotton spinning mills located in Central Travancore of the Kerala state in India
The body mass index was assessed among 180 female cotton mill workers involved in the production sector of the cotton mill
Summary
A blue-collar worker is a skilled or unskilled person who performs manual labour[1]. A systematic review done between 1990 to 2015 found that there are emerging health problems especially among blue-collar women workers involved in the production and manufacturing sector. One of the observations was that the studies on the prevalence of health problems among blue-collar women are less when compared to that of blue-collar men[2]. More studies on the health problems of blue-collar women workers need to be conducted. In India, secondary industries like cotton mills which convert raw unprocessed cotton to processed cotton employ a large number of blue-collar women. The work-family balance of women may compound many ailments including the development of many non-communicable diseases including hypertension
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