SOME FACTORS WHICH MAY AFFECT BLOOD PRESSURE IN NIGERIAN CEMENT FACTORY WORKERS

Objective: To investigate the influence of age, nature of job and duration of employment on the blood pressure of the workers of a cement factory in Nigeria.
Design: BP was measured using the standard sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. Workers were classified based on age, type of job, and the number of years they have worked in the factory.
Setting: The factory is located in a village and has an ill-equipped clinic run by a nurse.
Participants: All the workers present in the factory for the three days of the study participated.
Results: Blood pressure increased with age. Increases in blood pressure were not influenced by "cement related jobs" in the factory. The administrative staff had the highest number of "hypertensives". Newly employed workers were found to have higher mean systolic and diastolic pressures than others.
Conclusion: Pollution in the cement factory may not influence blood pressure directly, but inactivity and the psychological stress associated with working in a potentially hazardous environment are factors to consider.