Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Hypertension of Participant in Seafarer’s Medical Fitness Examination

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the major health problems. In Thailand, there is tendency to continually increase the number of patients with high blood pressure. In offshore operations, seafarers required to undergo medical examinations. Hypertension and chronic diseases are factors that must be considered for their fitness for work. Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension of participant in seafarer’s medical fitness examination. Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study population were 1070 seafarers who came for medical fitness examination at private hospital, Bangkok from January 1 - December 31, 2022. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The prevalence of hypertension was analyzed by proportion test and the associated factors were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of hypertension in seafarers who came for medical fitness examination was 23.83 percent (95% CI: 21.31 – 26.50). The highest prevalence of hypertension by age group were 35.35 percent (95% CI: 26.54 – 45.29) in the age over 50 years and by body mass index level were 42.26 percent (95% CI: 35.40 – 49.84) in Obesity class 2. The associated factors of hypertension in seafarers were age, BMI, and blood sugar. Conclusion: Hypertension in seafarers’ medical fitness examination is an important health issue. Therefore, planning for health promotion program should be focus on lifestyle modification and diet control for well-being of seafarers.