Abstract:
Objective To assess the current status of blood lipid levels among active civil aviation pilots and to explore factors associated with dyslipidemia, providing empirical evidence for its prevention and control.
Methods From August to December 2021, male pilots from an airline who underwent their annual physical examinations at Shanghai Civil Aviation Hospital were enrolled. Data on blood lipid levels, age, average monthly flight hours, uric acid levels, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, dietary patterns, and exercise adherence were collected. Pilots were categorized into normal and abnormal blood lipid groups based on stratified criteria for lipid levels. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze factors influencing dyslipidemia.
Results A total of 1 179 pilots were included, among whom 201 cases of dyslipidemia were identified, with a detection rate of 17.0%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, uric acid, BMI, smoking, and exercise were all associated with the risk of dyslipidemia (P < 0.05). Specifically, compared with pilots aged ≤ 30 years, pilots aged 31 to 40 and 41 to 50 had 1.879 times (95%CI: 1.220 to 2.896) and 1.856 times (95%CI: 1.063 to 3.241) the risk of dyslipidemia, respectively. Pilots with abnormal uric acid levels had 1.716 times the risk of dyslipidemia (95%CI: 1.236 to 2.382) compared with those with normal uric acid. Pilots with abnormal BMI had 1.565 times the risk of dyslipidemia (95%CI: 1.138 to 2.152) compared with those with normal BMI. The risk of dyslipidemia among pilots who kept regular exercise for ≥ 3 years was only 0.635 times that of those who exercised regularly for < 1 year (95%CI: 0.439 to 0.888).
Conclusions The prevalence of dyslipidemia among pilots in this airline was lower than that of the general population reported in China. However, greater attention should be still given to pilots aged 31 to 50 years, those with abnormal uric acid or BMI, smokers, and those who do not maintain regular exercise, in order to safeguard their health.