Biochemical and nutritional indices as cardiovascular risk factors among Iranian firefighters

Worldwide prevalence of obesity among firefighters: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Obesity may interfere with job performance and increase the risk of injury during firefighting activity. Obesity also has many deleterious effects on health indices and is associated with higher all-cause mortality. Studies report a high prevalence of obesity in the fire service. Also, firefighters' work schedule (12-hour to 24-hour shifts) and food availability during night shifts may be related to weight gain. Studies in American firefighters have shown annual weight gain between 0.5 and 1.5 kg. This study aims to report the obesity prevalence in the fire service to describe how it varies based on country and region, job status, type of firefighter and gender.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The main outcome evaluated will be obesity prevalence. We will systematically search the literature databases PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Sportdiscus, Academic Search Premier, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), SciTech Premium Collection, Sports Medicine & Education Index, Research Library and Scopus. One reviewer will perform the search. Two independent reviewers will select studies, extract data from eligible studies and evaluate their methodological and reporting quality. Agreement between reviewers will be measured using Cohen's kappa. Other data of interest will include age, body mass index, body fat percentage, job status (career, volunteer or military), years of service and type of firefighter (eg, structural and wildland firefighter). We will produce a narrative summary of our findings. Tables will be generated to summarise data.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This systematic review does not require ethics clearance since published studies with non-identifiable data will be used. The results of the systematic review will be disseminated via publication in a peer-reviewed journal and through conference presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019129122.

Prevalence of Hypercholesterolemia, High LDL, and Low HDL in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Chronic and abnormal increase of different types of dyslipidemia leads to some important diseases, such as constriction and abstraction of vessels in various parts of the body, especially in the heart. High lipid profile, such as increased total cholesterol and LDL as well as decreased HDL are recognized as cardiovascular disease risk factors. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of different types of dyslipidemia in Iran by a meta-analysis method.

METHODS

A literature search for studies published during 1998-2015 was carried out using both Persian and English databases (SID, Magiran, IranMedex, MedLib, PubMed, and Scopus). Keywords such as lipid, dyslipidemia, CVD, cardiovascular risk factors, hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-C, low HDL-C, and prevalence were used in the search. Random-effects model was used for the analysis using STATA (version 11.2).

RESULTS

In total, 163 articles were identified of which 49 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The estimated prevalence (95% confidence interval) of eligible articles for high cholesterol ≥200 mg/dl and ≥240 mg/dl was 42% (95% CI: 38-45) and 17% (95% CI: 14-20), respectively. Moreover, the prevalence (95% confidence interval) for high LDL-C ≥130 mg/dl and ≥160 mg/dl was 40% (95% CI: 32-48) and 19% (95% CI: 16-23), respectively. The pooled prevalence estimate for low HDL-C (<40 among males, <50 among females) was 43% (95% CI: 33-53) in both sexes of the Iranian people. All types of lipid component abnormalities (hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-C, and low HDL-C) were more prevalent in women.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the prevalence of different types of dyslipidemia in Iran is substantial. Given the risk of complications (e.g. cardiovascular disease and control of different types of dyslipidemia) in Iranian people, it is important to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases.