Predictors Associated With Changes of Weight and Total Cholesterol Among Two Occupational Cohorts Over 10 Years
Ulrike Ott1, Joseph B Stanford, Maureen A Murtaugh
1From the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (Drs Ott, Hegmann, and Thiese), Department of Family and Preventive Medicine; Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (Drs Stanford and Greenwood); Division of Epidemiology (Dr Murtaugh); and Division of Family and Preventive Medicine (Dr Gren), Department of Public Health, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.
Objective:
To ascertain worker health characteristics and psychosocial factors associated with changes in body weight and total cholesterol (TC) among two production operation populations.
Methods:
We performed descriptive and predictive analysis of questionnaire data and biomedical measurements from two prospective cohort studies. Our key outcomes were changes in weight, and TC over 5 to 10 years between baseline and exit assessments.
Results:
A total of 146 subjects were analyzed. Increases in weight were associated with belief in being overweight and baseline overweight and obesity. Increases in TC levels were associated with female sex, belief that TC levels were "not good," and feeling depressed.
Conclusions:
Most of the reported associations with increases in weight and TC levels are amenable to interventions and may be a target for workplace intervention programs.
Related Concept Videos
Longitudinal Research
Lifestyle Factors and Health
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...
Regression Toward the Mean
Longitudinal Studies
Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One...
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
