# Cardiovascular risk factors across job roles and work shifts in a Brazilian Military Police cohort: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

Brazilian military police officers have high cardiovascular risk factors, with no significant differences between job roles or shifts, suggesting a need for broad health initiatives.

## Contribution

The study reveals a uniform high cardiovascular risk across all job roles and shifts in a military police cohort.

## Key findings

- Over 80% of officers were overweight or obese, and 95% had elevated blood pressure or hypertension.
- Nearly 90% of officers had moderate or high cardiovascular risk, with no significant differences by job type or shift.
- Only 3% of officers met ideal cardiovascular health metrics.

## Abstract

Police officers are recognized as a high-risk group for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it remains unclear how specific occupational factors, such as job roles and demanding shift schedules, modulate this risk. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of Brazilian military police officers and to investigate their associations with job type and work schedule.

A cross-sectional analysis involving 436 male military police officers in Brazil was performed. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and overall cardiovascular health scores were determined based on six key metrics: elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, dysglycemia, obesity, smoking status, and physical activity levels. Health profiles and risk factor prevalence were compared across administrative versus operational roles and different work shifts using Pearson’s chi-squared tests for categorical data and non-parametric tests for non-normally distributed continuous data.

The population (median age 46.0 years) exhibited a high burden of risk factors, with over 80% being overweight or obese and 95% presenting with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Consequently, nearly 90% of the officers were classified as having moderate or high cardiovascular risk, while only 3% met ideal health metrics. This high-risk profile was uniformly distributed across the force, with no statistically significant differences observed between job types or work schedules.

This cohort of military police officers exhibits a severe and systemic burden of cardiovascular risk factors, pervasive throughout the force regardless of specific job roles or shift schedules. Given this widespread risk profile, the findings strongly recommend systemic, force-wide institutional health promotion initiatives, rather than programs targeted only at specific diseases, roles, or shifts.