title: Improving cardiovascular health in Spanish seafarers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a high prevalence in the Spanish general population of some cardiovascular risk factors like overweight, obesity and hypercholesterolaemia. But there is lack of research on Spanish seafarers. On the other hand, there is strong evidence of the cardiovascular risk predictive value of some biomarkers. The purpose of this work was to study the convenience of the introduction of detailed diet questionnaires and the measurement of some biomarkers in the pre-embarkation medical examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seafarers undergoing medical checkup during 2011 in Madrid, Spain (n = 334). Overweight and obese subjects received general advice on healthy diet and physical activity. Seventy-four of them were followed up in 2012 and 2013. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), thyrotropin (TSH) and microalbuminuria were measured in two selected groups of patients in 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overweight and obesity were present in 207 (62%) individuals of the studied population. Those followed up in 2012 and 2013 showed a reduction of body mass index, waist circumference and total cholesterol values. We observed risk value of HbA1c in 60 (35.5%) individuals with significant association to other cardiovascular risk factors. Microalbuminuria appeared in subjects with high blood pressure. High TSH and hs-CRP were not significantly present in our population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1. Measurement of HbA1c during medical checkups improves early detection of cardiovascular risk in seafarers. 2. Individuals with overweight and obesity responded positively to medical advice and diminished their risk factors, thus it may be more effective to introduce detailed questionnaires on this issue.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Social de la Marina, Maritime Health Service in Madrid, Spain Toxicology and Medical Legislation Department, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. ma-carmen.romero@seg-social.es.
authors.forename: Maria del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Romero-Paredes
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reinoso-Barbero
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: González-Gómez
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bandrés-Moya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009326:Naval Medicine; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human
keywords: glycated haemoglobin; obesity; overweight; seafarers