All teachers in government schools aged 39 - 50 years (n = 1044, 91% response rate) were surveyed for presence of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and family history of hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and strokes.
5.4% suffered from systolic hypertension (defined as 150 mm Hg) and 10% suffered from diastolic hypertension (defined as 95 mm Hg). In both cases, males had a higher prevalence of hypertension than females (5.4% vs. 4.8% and 12.2% vs. 6.3% respectively).
The authors did not specify a cutoff point for fasting blood sugar which would indicate diabetes. 11.8% of teachers had an FBS of more than 110 mg% and 6.9% had an FBS of more than 115 mg%.
7.8% of male teachers and 13.2% of female teachers were overweight as defined by a body mass index of more than 31. Twenty-eight percent were current smokers, 12% never smoked and 60% had smoked but given up smoking.
In the conclusion the authors note that the medical significance of the chosen cutoff points is unclear, however, they suggest the presence a general health problem.