Alcohol consumption in Spanish mental health patients vs. working population

Introduction: Alcohol consumption has a high prevalence in society and its chronic consumption is one of the main factors related to health condition in an individual, along with other aspects concerning lifestyle. Regarding the health-disease correlation, it is one of the main determinants of health, from an epidemiological point of view, and has been a traditional object of study from different perspectives and in diverse population groups.Objective: To compare consumption patterns and related variables in two different groups: patients in mental health units and workers in general.Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study in a population of 1 180 service workers and 304 patients in a mental health unit. Sociodemographic and work aspects, as well as pattern of alcohol consumption were analyzed for both populations.Results: Differences in both groups were observed regarding the number of consumers, quantity of consumption and type of beverages consumed, differences that disappear, in part, when comparing groups of workers of both population samples.Conclusions: Differences in the consumption pattern of both populations lead to different preventive-assistance strategies and to the need for implementing coordinated actions by specific programs among those affected.Introducción. El consumo de alcohol tiene una elevada prevalencia en la sociedad y su consumo crónico es uno de los principales factores relacionados con el estado de salud de los individuos, junto a otros aspectos concernientes al estilo de vida. Debido a su importancia, este tema ha sido objeto tradicional de estudio desde diferentes perspectivas epidemiológicas y en diversos colectivos poblacionales.Objetivo. Realizar una comparativa de patrones de consumo y variables relacionadas en dos colectivos diferenciados: pacientes de unidades de salud mental y trabajadores en general.Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal realizado en una población de 1 180 trabajadores del sector servicios de la administración pública y 304 pacientes de una unidad de salud mental. Se analizaron variables sociodemográficas y laborales y el patrón de consumo de alcohol.Resultados. Existen diferencias en ambos colectivos en cuanto al número de consumidores, cantidad de consumo y tipo de bebidas consumidas, diferencias que desaparecen en parte cuando se comparan colectivos de trabajadores de ambas muestras poblacionales.Conclusiones. Las diferencias en el patrón de consumo de ambas poblaciones orientan hacia actuaciones preventivo-asistenciales distintas en ambos grupos y hacia una necesidad de implementar actuaciones coordinadas entre todos los afectados mediante programas específicos

Alcohol consumption in Spanish mental health patients vs. working population

Introduction: Alcohol consumption has a high prevalence in society and its chronic consumption is one of the main factors related to health condition in an individual, along with other aspects concerning lifestyle. Regarding the health-disease correlation, it is one of the main determinants of health, from an epidemiological point of view, and has been a traditional object of study from different perspectives and in diverse population groups. Objective: To compare consumption patterns and related variables in two different groups: patients in mental health units and workers in general. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study in a population of 1 180 service workers and 304 patients in a mental health unit. Sociodemographic and work aspects, as well as pattern of alcohol consumption were analyzed for both populations. Results: Differences in both groups were observed regarding the number of consumers, quantity of consumption and type of beverages consumed, differences that disappear, in part, when comparing groups of workers of both population samples. Conclusions: Differences in the consumption pattern of both populations lead to different preventive-assistance strategies and to the need for implementing coordinated actions by specific programs among those affected

Occupational and Leisure Physical Activity on Cardiovascular Risk and Body Composition Among Courier Workers

Objective There is some controversy about the beneficial effects of occupational physical activity (OPA) on cardiovascular risk (CVR). The main aim of this study was to explore the effect of the combination of different frequencies of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and two types of OPA on CVR and body composition, and whether the association between physical activity (PA) and CVR was mediated by visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Methods This cross-sectional study included data from 2516 couriers living in Spain, delivering either by motorbike or foot, and practicing LTPA never, occasionally, or regularly. Couriers were classified into six categories according to LTPA and OPA; body composition was assessed by Bioelectrical Impedance, and CVR by the Framingham equation. General linear models were performed to explore the association between different categories with each outcome (CVR and body composition) and the possible role of VAT as a mediator between PA and CVR. Results Compared with the most sedentary group (motorbike couriers that never practice PA), walking couriers who practice regular PA presented the lowest CVR [beta -1.58 (95% CI -2.31; -0.85)] and the lowest VAT [beta -2.86 (95% CI -3.74; -1.98) followed by the motorbike couriers who practiced regular PA [beta -0.51 (95% CI -1.00; -0.03) for CVR and beta -2.33 (95% CI -2.91; -1.75) for VAT]. The association between PA and CVR was partially mediated by VAT. Conclusion The present results indicated that both OPA and LTPA are protective factors for CVR and play an important role on VAT accumulation