Influence of Difference in Occupational Category on the Results of Health Examinations for Cardiovascular Diseases and on Lifestyle

• Published in: Journal of the Japanese Association for Cerebro-cardiovascular Disease Control Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 158 - 165
• Main Authors: Ishizaki, Masao, Nishijo, Muneko, Senma, Masami, Yamada, Yuichi, Kido, Teruhiko, Kawano, Shunich, Tabata, Masaji, Nogawa, Kohji, Morikawa, Yuko, Nakagawa, Hideaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japanese Association for Cerebro-cardiovascular Disease Control 1993; 社団法人 日本循環器管理研究協議会
• Subjects: cardiovascular diseases; follow-up study; industrial workers; occupational category; risk factor; リスクファクター; 工場労働者; 循環器疾患; 職種; 追跡調査
• ISSN: 0914-7284
• DOI: 10.11381/jjcdp1974.27.158

This study performed in a manufacturing plant in Toyama prefecture, consisted of two parts. First, results of health examinations for cardiovascular diseases of 1980 and 1989 among industrial workers were compared between occupational categories. Second, the renults from a questionnaire surveying life style, such as dietary habit, carried out in 1990 were compared between occupational categories. Subjects were 461 males aged 35-44 years old in 1980 who were examined in both 1980 and 1989. They were classified into four categories by their occupation in 1990- “managerial officer”, “special technician and clerical worker”, “light or medium, physical intensity laborer”, and “heavy physical intensity laborer”. 1. In 1989, significant differences between occupational categories and proportions of borderline blood pressure or hypertension were observed, despite no differences seen in 1980. Among those classified as managerial officers increased from 13.3% in 1980 to 33.4% in 1989, a prevalence that was significantly higher than the other groups. In 1989, levels of serum cholesterol, β-lipoprotein and triglyceride were highest in the managerial officer group and lowest in the high physical intensity laborer group levels being almost identical between the groups in 1980. 2. Comparing dietary habits between occupational categories, the intake frequencies of main protein-rich food such as egg, meat and fish were lower in the managerial officer group and specialized technician and clerical worker group than the two laborer groups.The intake of cereals was lower in the managerial officer group also. Other items of life style such as alcohol intake, smoking, sleep and exercise showed no difference between occupational categories. These results suggest that occupation influenced the results of health examinations for cardiovascular diseases through unknown factors. Though the difference of life style such as dietary habit was suspected as one of those factors, the analysis of the results from the questionnaire of dietary habit and other lifestyle did not support the hypothesis.