Prevalence of Obesity and Hypertension and Related Factors among Bank Employees in Zahedan, 2017

Farzaneh Montazerifar,Mazaher Abbasi,Mansour Karajibani,Ahmad Bolouri

doi:10.15171/ijer.2019.29

Farzaneh Montazerifar, Mazaher Abbasi + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.15171/ijer.2019.29

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Abstract

Background and aims: Obesity and hypertension are the major threats to health in a sedentary lifestyle and stressful jobs. The bank employees have sedentary jobs with high mental stress. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and obesity and related factors among bank employees in Zahedan, located in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 350 employees aged 23 to 57 years were randomly selected out of 15 bank branches from December 2016 to February 2017. An information form including demographic data (i.e., age, education levels, experience years in the banking profession, and physical activity) was completed for each participant. Body mass index (BMI) was assessed for the determination of general obesity. In addition, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were measured for the evaluation of abdominal obesity. Two recordings of blood pressure (BP) were obtained in a sitting position. Finally, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the independent predictors of hypertension. Results: The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension were 33.1% and 61.1%, respectively. Further, the rates of overweight and obesity were 49.1% and 10.3%, respectively. Furthermore, elevated WC and high WHtR were 20.9% and 59.4%, respectively. Based on the results, the prevalence of obesity and hypertension increased significantly by aging. Conclusion: In general, the results of the study showed that the prevalence of overweight and hypertension among bank employees was high compared to the general population. Thus, periodic screening is recommended for an early determination of hypertension.

Highlights

Considering that the study of occupational risk factors in stressful and sedentary jobs is necessary for the programming of health policies, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of obesity and hypertension and related factors among bank employees of Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchistan province, located in the South-East of Iran
The rates of abdominal obesity based on the waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were 20.9% and 59.4%, respectively, indicating that females had a significantly higher prevalence in terms of the two above-mentioned parameters (P < 0.001)
The blood pressure (BP) pattern showed that 61.1% of subjects were hypertensive and it was more common in males than females, but the difference was slightly significant

Summary

Introduction

Long work hours,[1] sedentary lifestyle,[2,3,4] and stressful jobs[1,2,3] are considered as important contributors to obesity and hypertension.Obesity, as the sixth risk factor causative to disease in the worldwide,[5] is defined as fat accumulation in the abnormal or excessive pattern in adipose tissue, which may cause several serious health concerns, including some noncommunicable chronic diseases such as chronic vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver, and cancer.[1,6] Both generalized and abdominal obesity are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity.[7]The prevalence rates of obesity[8] and hypertension[8,9] are rising continually worldwide and in developing countries including Iran. It is estimated that up to 57.8% of people in different areas of the world become respectively overweight and obese by 2030.10 The prevalence rates of general and abdominal obesity were reported to be within the range of 2.6%-18.3% and 5.6%-30.2%, respectively, across Iran.[11] High blood pressure (BP) is ranked as the third cause of disability in life[3]. The bank employees have sedentary jobs with high mental stress. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and obesity and related factors among bank employees in Zahedan, located in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran. Conclusion: In general, the results of the study showed that the prevalence of overweight and hypertension among bank employees was high compared to the general population.

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