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Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Learning Objective 1: The learner will recognize risky habits that increase morbidity of hypertriglyceridemia among male Taiwanese truck drivers.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will understand comorbidities of hypertriglyceridemia among the male truck driver population in Taiwan.
Purpose: The three purposes of this study were to 1) investigate the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia among male Taiwanese truck drivers, 2) explore related risk factors, and 3) identify the comorbidities with other health problems. Methods: The theoretical framework for this study was Pender’s Health Promotion Model and a cross-sectional study was applied. A convenience sample of 1,083 male Taiwanese truck drivers was recruited from a national trucking company. Participants were asked to complete the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) and the Demographic, Occupational, and Health Status (DOHS) questionnaires. With permission of participants, employee health data was linked to the HPLP II and DOHS in order to identify risk factors associated with hypertriglyceridemia. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Hypertriglyceridemia ( 200mg/dl) was identified in 159 (14.7 %) of truck drivers. Risk factors associated with hypertriglyceridemia included age of 37 years and older (OR 1.5 [95% CI:1.1-2.2]), work experience of more than 10 years (OR 1.8 [1.2-2.5]), and positive parent history of hypertriglyceridemia (OR 3.9 [1.9-9.3]). Lifestyle risks included cigarette smoking (OR 2.6 [1.5-4.4]), alcohol consumption (OR 2.1 [1.5-4.4]), and betel nut chewing (OR 1.8 [1.3-2.6]). No statistical significance was found in practicing a healthy lifestyle (defined by the HPLP II instrument) with absence or presence of hypertriglyceridemia. Other comorbidities included hypertension (OR 2.2 [1.4-3.6]) hypercholesterolemia (OR 3.6 [2.3-5.4]), hyperglycemia (OR 3.2 [1.5-6.8]), central obesity by waist circumference (OR 2.6 [1.8-3.7]), and obesity by body mass index (OR 3.6 [2.4-5.5]). Conclusion: This study identified that age, work experience, positive presence of hypertriglyceridemia parent history, risky lifestyle and comorbidities all increase the risk for hypertriglyceridemia. Development of targeted health education interventions on hypertriglyceridemia by nurses is needed to promote healthy lifestyle activities in truck drivers.