Abstract
This study aimed to identify industries with the highest frequency of people with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in order to prioritize the industries that insurers should target for health guidance programs. We analyzed insurance claims data provided by the Fukuoka Branch of the National Health Insurance Association. Data were analyzed from 115,839 insured individuals aged 40-75 years who underwent medical examinations during fiscal year 2015 (April 1, 2015–March 31, 2016). The analyzed items included body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose (or, if not measured, glycated hemoglobin) measured at the medical checkup, and drug treatment status from the medical questionnaire. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the joint committee of eight Japanese medical societies. A patient was diagnosed with MetS if defined values were met for two or more of the following: blood pressure, lipids, and blood glucose plus waist circumference. The prevalence of MetS risk and the relative risk were calculated by type of industry. Finally, logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between MetS risk and type of occupation, adjusting for sex, age, and income. MetS risk was significantly associated with the transportation industry and postal work (odds ratio [OR], 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], [1.21-1.38]) and the construction industry (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, [1.01-1.15]). Men aged 50 years or older and patients with higher income showed a tendency for higher risk. The results of the study suggest that insurers could put priority of health guidance projects for the insured in the transportation, postal, and construction industries to focus on approaches to both the workplace environment and lifestyle improvement.
