Prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors among professional male long-distance bus drivers in Lagos, south-west Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Background: Professional drivers are known to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was carried out to highlight these risk factors and their predictors among male long-distance professional bus drivers in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, with a view to improving health awareness in this group. Method: Socio-demographic data, anthropometric indices, blood pressure, fasting plasma blood glucose levels and lipid and physical activity profiles of 293 drivers were measured. Results: Mean age of the study population was 48 +/- 9.7 years; 71.0 and 19.5% of the drivers used alcohol and were smokers, respectively; and 50.9% were physically inactive. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 41.7 and 21.1%, respectively, while 39.7 and 13.9% were hypertensive and diabetic, respectively. Ninety (31.3%) subjects had impaired fasting glucose levels while 56.3% had dyslipidaemia. Predictors of hypertension were age and body mass index (BMI). BMI only was a predictor of abnormal glucose profile. Conclusion: Professional male long-distance bus drivers in this study showed a high prevalence of a cluster of risk factors for CVD.