Cohort profile: Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Occupational Health Cohort in Xishan Coal Electricity Group...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are an important public health concern among coal miners, who may experience occupational hazards, demanding working conditions, and unhealthy lifestyles. The Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Occupational Health Cohort in Xishan Coal Electricity Group (GDPU-OHC) is an ambispective occupational cohort established to characterize NCD burden, identify high-risk occupational groups, support future longitudinal analyses, and inform occupational health management in China.

GDPU-OHC was conducted in Shanxi Province, China, with a retrospective component covering 2009-2022 and a prospective component initiated in May 2023. Among 36,577 workers with routine health examination records in 2023, 25,597 eligible employees (median age: 41.00 years, IQR: 35.00-50.00; 89.19% male) were recruited into the prospective cohort. All baseline participants were asked to provide fasting blood and urine samples. The main cohort is scheduled for follow-up every 3-5 years. Planned sub-studies include occupational protection improvement (N = 200), work pattern optimization (N = 600), dietary optimization (N = 600), and a gut microbiota modulation pilot study (N = 50).

Among baseline participants, the crude prevalence of obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperuricemia, and hyperlipidemia was 22.64, 23.18, 13.89, 27.87, and 47.93%, respectively. Occupational hazards, including dust, noise, toxic gasses, and shift work, and lifestyle factors, including high oil/salt intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption, were common in this cohort and will serve as key exposures for future longitudinal analyses of NCD risks. These findings are descriptive; temporal trends and exposure-outcome associations were not assessed in the present cohort profile.

The GDPU-OHC will continue prospective follow-up to capture long-term NCD outcomes and repeated occupational health information. Future studies will evaluate longitudinal associations between occupational/lifestyle exposures and NCD risks, develop planned sub-studies, and conduct mechanistic analyses involving oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, metabolomics, and gene-environment interactions. Study findings will be disseminated through serial publications.