IT industry employees on risk of developing chronic diseases: ICMR

In a study to examine the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) risk factors among the employees of the IT industry in India, it has been revealed that 44% are overweight, 16.8% are obese, 88.5% sit for 8 or more hours a day, much higher than national averages. This is the first study among eployees from three IT organizations of varied operational sizes to access the lifestyle, stress and dietary risk factors responsible for the development of MetS among this population.

As per a study to examine the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) risk factors among the employees of the IT industry in India, it has been revealed that 44.2% are overweight, 16.85% are obese, and 3.89 per cent employees were found to be diabetic. The study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) has highlighted that the lifestyle risk factors and components of MetS among the study participants indicate a high risk of developing chronic diseases among the employees of the IT industry in India. In all, 29.87% of the study population were considered to have metabolic syndrome.

The researchers approached eight IT firms of varied operational sizes in Hyderabad, of which three IT firms of different sizes consented for the study. The study was held from June 2018 and July 2019. During the voluntary enrolment stage, a total of 359 employees had voluntarily enrolled for the programme. Of these, 183 employees were assessed for anthropometry, and 154 of them were assessed for biochemical parameters.

The study has also highlighted the average sitting time on a regular working day for the participants was found to be more than 8 hrs and involvement in intentional PA was also found to be very low. The lower consumption of fruits and vegetables, frequent consumption of high-fat sugar and salt foods, skipping meals and multiple cups of sweetened tea/coffee and sugar-sweetened beverages from vending machines at the workplace have also been reported.

“The biochemical parameters, lifestyle risk factors and components of MetS among the study participants indicate a high risk of developing chronic diseases among the employees of the IT industry in India. Although, in this study, the employees with MetS were significantly older than those without MetS, the lifestyles and associated risk factors for NCDs were prevalent even among the younger employees. This shows the importance of modification of lifestyle and work culture of the employees”, the study concluded.