Cardiovascular risk factors in seamen and fishermen: review of literature.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among sailors and their evolution over time.


METHODS
This study is a review of the literature from Medline® database and the Medicina Maritima journal. With prevalence studies, the overall prevalence was calculated; 2 groups were created according to the study period (1990s vs. 2000s) and compared by c2 test with Mantel-Haenszel correction.


RESULTS
Eighteen articles were selected (total: 57,473 European sailors and 327 non-European sailors). Smoking prevalence varied between 37.3 and 72.3%; overweight prevalence between 27.9 and 66.5%; hypertension was between 8.2 and 49.7%; hypercholesterolaemia ("high blood level of cholesterol") variedbetween 25.1 and 42% of the populations studied; between 3.3 and 9.3% of the populations studied suffered from diabetes. Two studies showed a 10-year cardiovascular risk comparable to that of the general population. After calculating with similar studies, the prevalences were 61.4% for smoking, 60.9% for overweight, 30.1% for hypertension, 34.6% for high cholesterol, and 3.6% for diabetes. Smoking prevalence was significantly lower in 2000s (45.4% vs. 61.3%, p < 0.01), those of overweight, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia were higher (64.1% vs. 47.1%, p < 0.01, and 42.1% vs. 14.8%, p < 0.01, 42.0%vs. 33.9%, p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Modifiable risk factors are the most studied. Smoking tended to decrease in the 2000s.
European University of Brittany, University of Brest, Service de Santé au Travail et Maladies liées à l'environnement (Occupational and Environmental Diseases Center), CHRU Morvan, Brest, France Société Française de Médecine Maritime (French Society of Maritime Medicine). richard.pougnet@live.fr.
Richard
R
Pougnet
Laurence
L
Pougnet
Brice Loddé
BL
Loddé
Maria Luisa
ML
Canals-Pol
Dominique
D
Jegaden
David
D
Lucas
Jean-Dominique
JD
Dewitte
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009326:Naval Medicine; D016272:Occupational Health; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*