Blood pressure in indoor and outdoor workers

Abstract Introduction The aim of our study is to evaluate the changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in two occupational categories: outdoor workers (traffic policemen and environment technicians) and indoor workers. Materials and methods The study was conducted comparing the results obtained from three samples of male workers: 175 outdoor traffic policemen, 175 outdoor environment technicians and 175 indoor workers. The outdoor and indoor groups were made comparable by age, length of service, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking status. Results The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were found higher in traffic policemen and technicians than in indoor workers, as well as higher values of systolic blood pressure in traffic policemen than in technicians. Conclusions The results suggest that outdoor working affects the blood pressure, contributing to an increased cardiovascular risk.