Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the visiting occupational health services(OHS)and the factors associated with the proper control of blood pressure in hypertensive apartment management workers.
METHODS
The study group included 60 workers,who were visited and followed up regularly by a nurse for a period of more than 6 months.We checked the risk factors of hypertension, blood pressure and provided hypertension control methods every 2 months.
RESULTS
Mean systolic blood pressure decreased from 151.9 mmHg at the first visit to 141.1 mmHg at the last visit, and mean diastolic blood pressure also decreased from 93.6 mmHg to 87.1 mmHg (p<0.01).The number of workers who had regular exercise more than once a week increased from 7 (11.7%)at the first visit to 34 (56.7%)at the last visit, and the number of workers taking hypertensive medicines increased from 4 (6.7%) to 26 (43.3%)(p<0.01). The percentage of workers who either changed their life style or began taking hypertensive medication over the course of the action undertaken by the occupational health services showed a significant differences, 36.8%in the shorter intervention group, 43.5%in intermediate intervention group, and 72.2%in longer intervention group (p<0.05). Among those who were on shift work for less than 10 years was 32 (78.0%), while the corresponding number was only 9 (22.0%) for those who were on shift work for more than 10 years (p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that the visiting OHS was effective in bringing about a reduction in blood pressure, as well as an improvement in life style habits and in the use of medication. It suggests that occupational factors should be taken into account for the proper control of blood pressure in hypertensive apartment management workers.

• Keywords: Apartment management worker;Shift work;Hypertension control;Occupational health services