Sains Malaysiana 43(8)(2014): 1165–1174

 

Metabolic Risk Factors among Government Employees in Putrajaya, Malaysia

(Faktor Risiko Metabolik dalam Kalangan Kakitangan Kerajaan di Putrajaya, Malaysia)

 

 

CHEE, H.P1., HAZIZI, A.S.1,2*, BARAKATUN NISAK, M.Y.1 & MOHD NASIR, M.T.1

 

1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

 

2Sports Academy, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Malaysia

 

Received: 28 October 2013/Accepted: 10 December 2013

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

This study aimed to assess the metabolic risk factors among government employees in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Government employees (n=675) were recruited from five government agencies in Putrajaya using a multi-stage random sampling method. Data on socio demographic characteristics, stages of change for physical activity, anthropometric and biochemical and clinical examinations were collected. A total of 154 (23.4%) men and 505 (76.6%) women with the mean age of 34.49±8.80 years participated in this study. The number of government employees that met the metabolic syndrome criteria based on a 'Harmonized' definition (48.9%) was higher than that in the general Malaysian population. High blood pressure was higher in men (56.5%) compared to women (39.8%). The male participants had a significantly higher mean ± standard deviation in all the metabolic risk factors except HDL-cholesterol, compared to a significance level of 0.05 in the female participants. A high proportion of government employees (84.5%) had at least one metabolic risk factor. Men were 54% more likely to have metabolic syndrome than women based on 'Harmonized' definition. Participants in the pre- contemplation stage for physical activity were approximately 17 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome compared to participants in the maintenance stage according to 'Harmonized' definition. In general, this study suggested that a high proportion of government employees (84.5%) had at least one metabolic risk factor. There is a pressing need to commence intervention programs in the workplace to identify and manage government employees at high risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

 

Keywords: Government employees; metabolic risk factors; workplace

 

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai faktor risiko metabolik dalam kalangan kakitangan kerajaan di Putrajaya, Malaysia. Kakitangan kerajaan (n=675) daripada lima agensi kerajaan di Putrajaya telah dipilih dengan menggunakan kaedah persampelan rawak berperingkat. Pengumpulan data melibatkan data sosio demografi, peringkat perubahan terhadap aktiviti fizikal, pengukuran data antropometri, biokimia dan pemeriksaan klinikal. Seramai 154 (23.4%) lelaki dan 505 (76.6%) wanita telah mengambil bahagian dalam kajian ini dengan min umur 34.49±8.80 tahun. Prevalens bagi kakitangan kerajaan yang memenuhi kriteria sindrom metabolik (48.9%) dalam kajian ini berdasarkan definisi 'Harmonized' adalah lebih tinggi berbanding penduduk Malaysia secara keseluruhan. Tekanan darah tinggi adalah lebih tinggi dalam kalangan lelaki (56.5%) berbanding dengan wanita (39.8%). Lelaki mempunyai lebih tinggi min ± sisihan piawai bagi semua faktor risiko metabolik kecuali kolesterol HDL berbanding dengan wanita pada tahap kesignifikanan 0.05. Sebahagian besar daripada kakitangan kerajaan (84.5%) mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya satu faktor risiko metabolik. Lelaki adalah 54% lebih cenderung untuk mempunyai sindrom metabolik berbanding dengan wanita berdasarkan definisi 'Harmonized'. Peserta dalam peringkat pra- pertimbangan untuk aktiviti fizikal adalah kira- kira 17 kali ganda lebih cenderung untuk mempunyai sindrom metabolik berbanding dengan peserta di peringkat berterusan mengikut definisi 'Harmonized'. Secara umumnya, kajian ini mencadangkan bahawa sebahagian besar daripada kakitangan kerajaan (84.5%) mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya satu faktor risiko metabolik. Terdapat keperluan yang mendesak untuk memulakan program intervensi di tempat kerja untuk mengenal pasti serta menguruskan kakitangan kerajaan yang berisiko tinggi untuk penyakit kardiovaskular dan diabetes pada masa akan datang.

 

Kata kunci: Faktor risiko metabolik; kakitangan kerajaan; tempat kerja

REFERENCES

 

Alberti, K.G.M.M., Eckel, R.H., Grundy, S.M., Zimmet, P.Z., Cleeman, J.I., Donato, K.A., Fruchart, J.C., James, W.P.T., Loria, C.M. & Smith, S.C. 2009. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome. A joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Diabetes Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation 120: 1640-1645.

Alberti, K.G., Zimmet, P., Shaw, J. & IDF Epidemiology Task Force Consensus Group. 2005. The metabolic syndrome: A new worldwide definition. Lancet. 366: 1059-1062.

Alberti, K.G. & Zimmet, P.Z. 1998. Definition, diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus, and its complications, part I: diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus provisional report of a WHO consultation. Diabet. Med. 15: 539-553.

Alegria, E., Cordero, A., Laclaustra, M., Grima, A., Leon, M., Casasnovoas, J.A., Luengo, E., del Rio, A., Ferreira, I. & Investigadores del registro MESYAS. 2005. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Spanish working population: MESYAS Registry. Rev. Esp. Cadriol. 58: 797-806.

Bayan, A.O., Eslam, K.A.A., Khalid, K.A. & Yousef, S.K. 2012. Predictors of metabolic syndrome among employees: A study from Jordan. Food and Nutrition Sciences 3: 669- 677.

Dallongeville, J., Cottel, D., Ferrieres, J., Arveiler, D., Bingham, A., Ruidavets, J.B., Hass, B., Ducimetiere, P. & Amouyel, P. 2005. Household income is associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome in a sex- specific manner. Diabetes Care 28: 409-415.

D' Agostino Sr, R.B., Vasan, R.S., Pencina, M.J., Wof, P.A., Cobain, M., Massaro, J. & Kannel, W.B. 2008. General cardiovascular risk profile for use in primary care: The Framingham heart study. Circulation 117: 743-753.

Davila, E.P., Florez, H., Fleming, L.E., Lee, D.J., Goodman, E., LeBlanc, G., Caban- Martinez, A.J., Arheart, K.L., McCollister, K.E., Christ, S.L., Clark III, J.C. & Clarke, T. 2010. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among US workers. Diabetes Care 33(11): 2390-2395.

Department of Statistics. Labour Force Statistics, Malaysia, December 2012. Malaysia: Department of Statistics, 2013.

Freak-Poli, R., Wolfe, R. & Peeters, A. 2010. Risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in a working population with sedentary occupations. American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 52: 1132-1137.

Gami, A.S., Witt, B.J., Howard, D.E., Erwin, P.J., Gami, L.A., Somers, V.K. & Montori, V.M. 2007. Metabolic syndrome and risk of incident cardiovascular events and death: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 49: 403-414.

Grundy, S.M. 2007. Metabolic syndrome: A multiplex cardiovascular risk factor. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 92: 399-404.

Grundy, S.M., Hansen, B., Smith Jr, S.C., Cleeman, J.I. & Kahn, R.A. 2004. Clinical management of metabolic syndrome: Report of the American Heart Association/ National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/ American Diabetes Association conference on scientific issues related to management. Arterioscler Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 24: e19-e24.

Institute for Public Health. The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011. Malaysia: Ministry of Health, 2011.

Institute for Public Health. The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey 2006. Malaysia: Ministry of Health, 2008.

Johnson, L.W. & Weinstock, R.S. 2006. The metabolic syndrome: Concepts and controversy. Mayo Clin. Proc. 81: 1615-1620.

Johnson, R.R. & Kuby, P. 2008. Chapter 9. Inferences involving one population. In Elementary Statistics. USA: Thomson Learning Inc. pp. 472-542.

Khunti, K. & Davies, M. 2005. Metabolic syndrome. British Medical Journal 331(7526): 1153-1154.

Li, C.Y. & Sung, F.C. 1999. A review of the healthy worker effect in occupational epidemiology. Occup. Med. (London) 49: 225-229.

Lin, Y.C., Hsiao, T.J. & Chen, P.C. 2009. Persistent rotating shift- work exposure accelerates development of metabolic syndrome among middle-aged female employees: A five-year follow-up. Chronobiology International 26(4): 740-755.

Marcus, B.H., Rossi, J.S., Selby, V.C., Niaura, R.S. & Abrams, D.B. 1992. The stages and processes of exercise adoption and maintenance in a worksite sample. Health Psychology 11: 386-395.

Ministry of Health. 2011. Country Health Plan. 10th Malaysia Plan 2011- 2015. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health.

Ministry of Health. 2010. National Strategic Plan for Non- Communicable Disease. Medium Term Strategic Plan to Further Strengthen the Cardiovascular Diseases & Diabetes Prevention & Control Program in Malaysia (2010- 2014). Putrajaya: Ministry of Health.

Ministry of Health. 2006a. MyNCDS-1 Malaysia NCD Surveillance- 1 2005/ 2006. NCD Risk Factors in Malaysia. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health, Disease Control Division, Non-communicable Disease Section.

Ministry of Health. 2006. Malaysia’s Health. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health.

Murphy, M.H., Murtagh, E.M., Breham, C.A.G., Hare, L.G. & Nevill, A.M. 2006. The effect of a worksite based walking programme on cardiovascular risk in previously sedentary civil servants. BMC Public Health 6: 136-143.

Nair, C.V. 2010. Metabolic syndrome: An occupational perspective. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 35(1): 122-124.

National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). 2002. Third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) final report. Circulation 106: 3143- 3421.

Nestel, P., Lyu, R., Low, L.P., Sheu, W.H., Nitiyanant, W., Saito, I. & Tan, C.E. 2007. Metabolic syndrome: Recent prevalence in East and Southeast Asian populations. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 16: 362- 367.

Puig- Ribera, A., McKenna, J., Gilson, N. & Brown, W.J. 2008. Change in work day step counts, wellbeing and job performance in Catalan university employees: A randomized controlled trial. Promotion & Education 15: 11-16.

Rakugi, H. & Ogihara, T. 2005. The metabolic syndrome in the Asian population. Curr. Hypertens. Rep. 7: 103-109.

Salsberry, P.J., Corwin, E. & Reagan, P.B. 2007. A complex web of risks for metabolic syndrome: Race/ ethnicity, economics and gender. Am. J. Prev. Med. 33: 114-120.

Sanchez-Chapparo, M.A., Calvo-Bonacho, E., Gonzalez- Quintela, A., Fernandez-Labandera, C., Cabrera, M., Sainz, J.C., Fernandez-Meseguer, A., Banegas, J.R., Ruilope, L.M., Valdivielso, P. & Roman-Garcia, J. 2008. Occupational-related differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care 31: 1884-1885.

Sundstrom, J., Riserus, U., Byberg, L., Zethelius, B., Lithell, H. & Lind, L. 2006. Clinical values of the metabolic syndrome for long term prediction of total and cardiovascular mortality: Prospective, population based cohort study. BMJ 332: 878- 882.

Tan, B.Y., Kumar, K.H. & Rajbans, S. 2008. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Malaysians using the International Diabetes Federation, National Cholesterol Education Program and modified World Health Organization definitions. Mal. J. Nutr. 14(1): 65-77.

Wan Nazaimoon, W.W., Aziz, A.I., Amir, S., Ikram, S.I., Kamarul, I.M., Khalid, A.K., Nor Azmi, K., Nor Azwany, Y., Norlaila, M., Osman, A., Siti, H. & Wan Mohamad, W.B. 2011. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in adult Malaysians: Results of a nationwide survey. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 91(2): 239-245.

Wilson, P.W.F., D’Agostino, R.B., Parise, H., Sullivan, L. & Meigs, J.B. 2005. Metabolic syndrome as a precursor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Circulation 112: 3066-3072.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2009. Global health risks: Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. Geneva: WHO Press.

World Health Organization and World Economic Forum. 2008. Preventing non- communicable diseases in the workplace through diet and physical activity: WHO/ World economic forum report of a joint event. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

WHO/IASO/IOTF. 2000. The Asia- pacific perspective: Redefining obesity and its treatment. Melbourne: Health Communications Australia.

World Health Organization (WHO). 1997. MONICA Manual. Part III: Population Survey. Section 1: Population survey data component by WHO MONICA Project, http://www.thl. fi/publications/monica/manual/part3/iii-1.htm, URN: NBN: fi-fe19981151. Accessed 8th February 2013.

 

 

*Corresponding author; email: hazizi@upm.edu.my

 

 

previous