The Risk of High Cholesterol among Construction Workers: Employment Relations or Behavior?

Abstract

On the basis of interview responses and medical exam results from the National Health and Examination Survey III, logistic regression was run to identify the odds of high cholesterol among working-aged males by occupational and industrial class. Statistically significant higher odds of high cholesterol were manifest among segments of young skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled construction workers relative to professional and technical workers, even after controlling for demographic and behavioral risk factors. Elevated blood cholesterol levels among construction workers have an occupational dimension that needs to be more fully explored and addressed.