Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Professional Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers in the City of Ouagadougou: A Study Conducted during Medical Examinations

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Although cardiovascular risk has been the subject of numerous studies around the world, few studies have focused on cardiovascular risk in the workplace in Burkina Faso. Objective: To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among professional heavy goods vehicle drivers in the city of Ouagadougou. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with prospective recruitment, conducted from January 2022 to October 2022 during various medical examinations of heavy goods vehicle drivers at the occupational health services of the Ouagadougou Occupational Health Office (OST). Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using Epi Info 7 version 7.2.4.0 and Excel 2019 software. Results: A total of 322 professional heavy goods vehicle drivers were included in the study. All drivers were male. The mean age was 36 years ± 8.26, with a range of 19 to 56 years. Primary school education was the most common, at 36.65%. Cardiovascular risk factors identified were sedentary lifestyle (55.28%), hypercholesterolemia (35.71%), high blood pressure (33.23%), alcoholism (31.37%), smoking (29.50%), metabolic syndrome (18.94%), obesity (9.63%), and diabetes (4.04%). Being over 40 years of age was significantly associated with high blood pressure (p = 0.01) and a sedentary lifestyle (p = 0.01). Conclusion: A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was observed among the truck drivers studied. Therefore, the implementation of appropriate cardiovascular disease prevention strategies in the workplace, particularly in the transport sector, is essential.