[Cardiovascular disease risk factors in product quality control workers at the AD Neoplant facility in Novi Sad].

Introduction: Monitoring the health status of the employed in the meat industry "Neoplanta", a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was observed. It was also observed that workers employed in the meat industry have specific dietary habits as a result of working practice. Their hypercaloric diet is with high dietary animal fat and protein intake. This particularly refers to the group of workers in charge of the quality control of meat products who, besides regular hot meal and frequent business lunches, consume certain quantities of these products on a daily basis. A common characteristic shared by members of this group is that they very seldom or never have preventive medical examination.

Objective: The objective of this paper was to determine cardiovascular risk factors in this group of workers and to evaluate educational program effects on the prevalence of risk factors.

Material And Methods: Cardiovascular risk factors were examined in 39 workers (28 men and 11 women) involved in the daily control of meat products and performing executive jobs of different complexity levels in the meat industry "Neoplanta". Cardiovascular risks and lipid status were examined before and after a nine-month-long educational program. Occurrence of increased risks and lipid status elements were tested, p < 0.05.

Results: According to obtained results hypercholesterolemia is present in 94.87%, obesity in 82.05%, positive family cardiovascular anamnesis in 74.48%, physical inactivity in 69.33%, continuous alcohol consumption in 69.23%, excessive consumption of black coffee in 61.54%, hypertension in 51.28%, "stress alleviation" with food in 46.15%, hypertriglyceridemia in 46.15% and cigarette smoking in 46.15% of examinees. Cigarette smoking, chi 2 = 1.85, alcohol consumption, chi 2 = 0.26, black coffee drinking, chi 2 = 0.22, preparation of the meals on the fat, chi 2 = 0.10 has remained unchanged after educational program. The number of patients "alleviating" stress with food, chi 2 = 5.26 and physically inactive patients, chi 2 = 1.06 has significantly increased. Body mass, chi 2 = 0.06 and hypertension, chi 2 = 1.42, has not reduced, hyperholesterolemia has remained unchanged, chi 2 = 2.22, LDL-cholesterol has decreased insignificantly, chi 2 = 0.60, while HDL-cholesterol has decreased significantly, chi 2 = 4.27. Atherosclerosis index has increased significantly, chi 2 = 4.47. Thus, poor effects of the educational program can be attributed to unchanged lifestyle habits of the examined workers.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that cardiovascular risk factors as well as lipid status elements have not decreased in this group of workers after educational program and therefore continuous medical educational program is suggested with purpose to increase the motivation of workers.