Work ability and anthropometric indices correlate with cardiovascular risk factors in public sector employees: Cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Understanding the correlation of work ability (WA) and anthropometric indices with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk factors among public sector employees (PSE) is vital for policy direction. This study examined the correlation between work ability, anthropometric indices, and cardiovascular risk factors among PSEs. Methods: The cross-sectional study had 254 (mean age = 37.18 ± 10.34) PSE. A self-reported WA index was used to measure WA. Blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and visceral fat were measured. Lifestyle CVDs risk history was also obtained. Results: 3.9% had moderate, 51.2% good, and 44.9% excellent WA. 37.4% overweight, 20.1% obese, 19.7% hypertension history, 67.7% no physical activity history. WA correlates with increased systolic BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat significantly. Age 24-29 (aOR = 26.38), 30-39 (aOR = 7.52), and 40-49 (aOR = 4.94) independently predict excellent WA. Overweight (aOR = 0.44) independently predict decreased excellent WA. Conclusion: Participants were hypertension-prone, had increased WC, WHR, physically inactive, overweight, and obese. WA and anthropometric indices of the participants predict CVDs risks. Workplace health care strategy should be put in place to control BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat as CVDs risk factors.

Physiological, anthropometric parameters, and balance skill response of healthy bankers to fitness training.

Sedentary lifestyle as a predisposing factor of chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, stroke and obesity is a common phenomenon in the banking job. Studies suggest that fitness training improves health of bankers but has not been established among Ghanaian bankers. This study examined the physiological, anthropometric parameters, and balance skill responses of relatively healthy bankers to fitness training. Twelve bankers aged 28 to 55 years (36.41±7.16 years) in Kumasi completed a 6-month fitness training program (FTP) of 30-min gym workouts and 1-hr swimming per session. Physiological, anthropometric parameters, and balance skill variables assessments were conducted in three trials: pretraining, midtraining and post-FTP. FTP caused significant decrease in pre-post systolic blood pressure (P=0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P=0.000), heart rate (P=0.006), waist circumference (P= 0.007), waist-to-hip ratio (P=0.007), and bone density (P=0.038). There was significance decrease in body mass index (P=0.047) between pre- and midtraining status. Weight significantly decreased among the three trials (P=0.017). Pre-post opened (P=0.043) and closed (P=0.015) eye balance skills increased significantly. Effects of FTP were significantly higher in female (P<0.05). Participants who were at the stage 1 and 2 hypertensions pretraining became normotensive posttraining. Six months FTP has beneficial effects on the physiological, anthropometric parameters, and balance skill of relatively healthy bankers.