High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol: determining hygienic factors for intervention.

Current guidelines of the Adult Treatment Panel on High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) emphasize the protective effect of HDL-C in reducing one's risk for coronary heart disease and recommend that individuals with serum HDL-C levels below 35 mg/dL utilize hygienic means to raise them. A cross-sectional study was performed to examine the relationship of the hygienic factors obesity (measured by percent body fat and body mass index), smoking, and aerobic exercise to HDL-C. The sample, consisting of 1701 male employees of a large aerospace hardware assembly plant, were evaluated by health risk appraisal and anthropometric measurement.