%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hypertension among Male Occupational Bus Drivers in North Kerala, South India: A Cross-Sectional Study
%A Arjun Lakshman
%A Neeraj Manikath
%A Asma Rahim
%A V. P. Anilakumari
%J ISRN Preventive Medicine
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/318532
%X Background. Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension in a population of male bus drivers in North Kerala, India. Methods. The study population included male bus drivers of Corporation Bus stand Kozhikode, Kerala. Blood pressure, height, and weight of subjects were measured, and relevance was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Results. Age varied from 21 to 60 years (mean ). Among 179 bus drivers studied, 16.8% (30/179) had normal BP, 41.9% (75/179) had prehypertension, and 41.3% (74/179) had hypertension. Isolated systolic HTN was seen in 6.70% (12/179) individuals. Out of 74 hypertensives, 9 (12.1%) were aware of their hypertension, while 3 (4.0%) were medicated and only 1 (1.3%) had BP adequately controlled. Age > 35 years (P = 0.015), BMI ¡Ý 23£¿kg/m2 (P = 0.007), supporting more than four family members (P = 0.011), and taking main meals from restaurants on most working days (P = 0.017) were independently associated with HTN in binary logistic regression. Conclusion. Prevalence of hypertension was high among bus drivers. Age > 35 years, elevated BMI, supporting a large family, and dietary habits associated with the job showed significant association with hypertension. Primary and secondary prevention strategies need to be emphasized in this occupational group. 1. Introduction Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for nearly a third of all deaths worldwide. The prevalence of CVDs is increasing in developing countries like India. CVD is predicted to become the major cause of morbidity and mortality by 2020 [1]. The key intervention in CVDs is to identify risk factors early and initiate therapy to control them. An important modifiable risk factor for CVDs is systemic arterial hypertension (HTN). Hence, diagnosis of hypertension and appropriate treatment to optimize BP are important public health goals worldwide. All groups of professional drivers especially those carrying passengers are at excess risk of HTN, myocardial infarction, and hemorrhagic stroke [2¨C6]. Occupational bus drivers in a developing country like India deserve special concern. They have to be extremely careful in handling heavy vehicles laden with passengers. Traffic congestion, exposure to vehicle exhausts, constant whole body vibration, poor condition of roads, poor town planning and traffic regulation, over speeding due to competition between buses, and carelessness of pedestrians contribute to their misery. Besides, most of the drivers are in the habit of eating main meals from hotels and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.preventive.medicine/2014/318532/