Ann Occup Environ Med.  2013 ;25(1):13.

Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome among Korean Workers by Occupational Group: Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010

• Ryu JY
• Hong S
• Kim CH
• Lee S
• Kim JH
• Lee JT
• Kim DH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome has increased rapidly in South Korea over the past 10 years. However, the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome in workers grouped according to the specific type of work is not well understood in Korea. In this study, we assessed the differences in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome by occupational group and evaluated the risk of the metabolic syndrome among occupational groups.
METHODS
From the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010), 3,303 employed participants were included in this study. The unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalences of the metabolic syndrome were estimated and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted using the presence of the metabolic syndrome as a dependent variable, and adjusting for age, education level, household income, drinking behavior, smoking status, physical activity, work hours, and work scheduling pattern.
RESULTS
Among male workers, non-manual workers had the greatest age-adjusted prevalence (26.4%, 95% CI: 22.3-30.5%) among the occupational groups. In a logistic regression analysis, male manual workers had a significantly lower odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome relative to non-manual workers (0.59, 95% CI: 0.41-0.85).
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated differences in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome by occupational group and identified the greatest risk for the metabolic syndrome in male non-manual workers.

Keyword

Metabolic syndrome; Prevalence; Workers; Occupation

MeSH Terms

Drinking Behavior
Education
Family Characteristics
Humans
Korea
Logistic Models
Male
Motor Activity
Nutrition Surveys*
Occupational Groups*
Occupations
Odds Ratio
Prevalence*
Republic of Korea
Smoke
Smoking
Smoke