Abstract

Introductioncommercial motor vehicle drivers are at risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) due to the nature of their work as they tend to go to work early, work for more hours, have irregular dietary habits and patterns, have little sleep and live sedentary lifestyle. The study sought to determine the prevalence and lifestyle-related risk factors of MetS among commercial taxi drivers around Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus, in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.Methodsa cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 commercial taxi drivers in 3 selected taxi ranks around KNUST campus. Fasting blood lipid and fasting blood glucose levels, blood pressure and anthropometric characteristics were determined using WHO and NCEP-ATP III criteria. Lifestyle-related risk factors of MetS were assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire and dietary pattern was assessed using food frequency questionnaire. Bivariate analysis and linear correlation were used to determine the relationship between lifestyle practices and MetS.Resultsthe prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, overweight and obesity were 12%, 63%, 40%, 32% and 13% respectively. The prevalence of MetS was 5% according to NCEP-ATP III (2005) criteria. The lifestyle behaviours of the drivers were, alcohol intake, irregular dietary pattern, long working hours, lack of exercise and tiredness due to driving. Tobacco use (R = 0.405, p = 0.041) and time of supper (R = 0.931, p = 0.047) were related with MetS among the participants.Conclusionthough prevalence of MetS (5%) was low among the drivers, the need for intervention to promote positive lifestyle change and curb the high prevalence of overweight/obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia is necessary to improve the health of the drivers and the safety of passengers.

Highlights

  • Metabolic syndrome (MetS) which has been described as insulin resistance, deadly quartet and syndrome X, is a cluster of risk factors that raises the risk of heart diseases, stroke and other health disorders [1]

  • Though the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was low among the drivers in this study, there were high prevalence rates of its components

  • The lifestyle practices of the participants, if not intervened, could drive an upsurge in metabolic syndrome among them. This calls for urgent intervention strategies to address the lifestyle-related behaviours of the drivers to promote positive lifestyle change and curb the high prevalence of overweight/obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia and improve the health of the drivers and the safety of passengers

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Summary

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) which has been described as insulin resistance, deadly quartet and syndrome X, is a cluster of risk factors that raises the risk of heart diseases, stroke and other health disorders [1]. Studies have shown that commercial drivers are prone to lifestyle-related risk factors of MetS due the nature of their work as they tend to go to work early, work for long hours, have irregular dietary habit and pattern and have little sleep [10,11,12]. These tend to pose a threat to the health of the driver and the safety of the passengers. In the case of commercial taxi drivers in Kumasi there is paucity of data on the prevalence and lifestyle-related risk factors of MetS, this study sought to determine the prevalence and lifestyle-related risk factors of MetS among commercial taxi drivers around KNUST campus, Kumasi

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