[Obesity index and blood pressure of workers in Kitakyushu]

Relation between obesity index and blood pressure of male, 40-49 years old, workers (11,526 persons) were observed, classified by industry (total industry, construction, manufacturing, transport & communication) and by occupation (total occupation, field workers, office workers) from a source of periodic health examination (April to September in 1982) of establishments in Kitakyushu. In results, the followings were noted. Proportion of number of subjects with hypertension in office workers was higher than that in field workers, except transport & communication. Hypertension depended on abnormal diastolic blood pressure was more than abnormal systolic blood pressure. Proportion of the number of subjects with abnormal blood pressure was high in construction, in transport & communication and in manufacturing, in order. Classified by obesity index, proportion of number of subjects with hypertension was high in construction and in manufacturing, in order. There were significant positive correlations between obesity index and blood pressure (both of diastolic and systolic) in all industries and in all occupations. Both distributions of obesity index by the KATO method and the MINOWA method had high positive skewness. Proportion of the number of subjects with hypertension, classified by obesity index, increased with obesity index. Obesity indices by the KATO method and the MINOWA method were seemed to be appropriate for the observation of relations between obesity index and blood pressure.