Cardiovascular risk profile among industrial workers in North India: A cross-sectional study

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in industrial workers are a significant but overlooked public health problem, and present study was planned to assess the prevalence of risk factors related to CVDs in industrial workers, so that active interventions can be undertaken to decrease disease burden.

This cross-sectional, field-based survey was conducted among industrial workers in Ludhiana, following approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Random sampling of industries from the two industrial clusters was conducted, involving the collection of data on demography, migration status, anthropometric measurements, and cardiovascular risk factors by a trained task force. Quantitative data were described in terms of frequencies, range, and mean ± SD, whereas categorical data were compared by Chi square (χ2) test. A probability value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Mean age of the industrial workers (n = 15527) was 34.95 ± 10.96 years, and 72 % of the workforce were from outside Punjab. On screening, 22 % (n = 3395) of the study population were hypertensive, and 4.1 % (n = 644) were diabetic (DM). Out of the hypertensives, 15 % (n = 503) were previously known to have hypertension (HT), whereas 85 % (n = 2892) were newly diagnosed during the study. Among previously known HT, 56 % had uncontrolled HT, and 45 % had uncontrolled diabetic status. Alcohol intake, chewing tobacco and smoking were the most common behavioral risk factors, whereas HT and DM were the most common Cardiovascular disease-related risk factors in the study population. Prevalence of HT and DM was found to be higher in native industrial workers as compared to the migrant workers. Age ≥30 years, male gender, substance abuse (alcohol and smoking) and increased BMI were significantly associated with HT and DM.

Screening of the industrial workforce for cardiovascular risk factors is imperative to decrease the risk of CVDs, and it requires a multifaceted approach that combines workplace interventions, policy changes, and individual-level support.