Correlation Between Total Cholesterol and Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio of Flight Attendants

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Number of people who suffer from obesity tends to increase throughout the world. The obesity may cause various illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis etc. However, obesity can be prevented by diet and weight control. This study is to find the relationship between severity of obesity and amount of blood cholesterol which is closely related to hypertension. There are two ways to indicate the severity of obesity; body mass index and waist hip ratio. Especially, the latter is favored for abdominal obesity. The goal of this study is to find out which method is more closely related to the serum total cholesterol. METHODS: From Oct. 1st 2000 to Sept. 30th 2001, the experiment is based on 585 people who are flight attendants in the A airline company. This study measured body mass index, waist hip ratio and serum total cholesterol against sex, age, height, and weight. We analyzed the data by t-test, analysis of covariance, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression analysis. As a result, we will study the correlation between serum total cholesterol and age, sex, height, and weight by defining the serum total cholesterol as a dependent variable and any other variables that affect changes in the serum total cholesterol as independent variables. RESULTS: The 585 flight attendants (78 male and 507 female)were statistically analyzed. The average serum total cholesterol (ASTC) was significantly higher for male; ASTC of male was 175.67+/-30.23 and that of female was 166.37+/-25.57 (P=.011). ASTC was peak at the age group of 30s for male (177.97+/-30.54 , P=.0443), but female did not have much difference between the age group of 20s and that of 30s (166.33+/-24.54, 166.34+/-29.26, P=0.880). As a result from analyzing the relationship among the variables. ASTC and waist hip ratio were positively related for both male and female. Moreover, body mass index and waist hip ratio were also positively related for both genders. However, the relationship between ASTC and waist hip ratio for male was more closely related than for female (P=.033). CONCLUSION: Age, body mass index and waist hip ratio are positively related for both genders. Therefore, an appropriate exercise and a diet control for ages are necessary as getting older in order to prevent disease caused by obesity. Besides, serum total cholesterol for male was higher for 30s than 20s. Thus, especially, male within the age group of 30s should be alert to the obesity carefully with performing exercise regularly and diet control by lowering the intake of fat and alcohol.