COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore
Objectives This study aims to report the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and other non-communicable diseases among migrant workers in Singapore admitted for COVID-19 infection, to highlight disease burden and the need for changes in health screening and healthcare delivery in this...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-05-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/5/e055903.full |
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| author | Natalie Liling Woong Amanda Yun Rui Lam Shaikh Abdul Matin Mattar Ling Zhu Tharmmambal Balakrishnan Juliana Yin Li Kan Orlanda Qi Mei Goh Yuyang Tan Shalini Sri Kumaran Koin Lon Shum Guozhang Lee Chiara Jiamin Chong Mei Ling Kang |
| author_facet | Natalie Liling Woong Amanda Yun Rui Lam Shaikh Abdul Matin Mattar Ling Zhu Tharmmambal Balakrishnan Juliana Yin Li Kan Orlanda Qi Mei Goh Yuyang Tan Shalini Sri Kumaran Koin Lon Shum Guozhang Lee Chiara Jiamin Chong Mei Ling Kang |
| author_sort | Natalie Liling Woong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives This study aims to report the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and other non-communicable diseases among migrant workers in Singapore admitted for COVID-19 infection, to highlight disease burden and the need for changes in health screening and healthcare delivery in this unique population.Setting The study was conducted in the largest tertiary hospital in Singapore.Design Retrospective cross-sectional study.Participants 883 migrant workers who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection admitted to three isolation wards between 6 April 2020 and 31 May 2020 were included in this study.Outcome measures The outcome measures were the prevalence of pre-existing and newly diagnosed comorbid conditions and the prevalence of CVRFs—diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia—and non-communicable diseases at the time of discharge. The OR of having specific CVRFs depending on country of origin was generated via multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results The median age of our study population was 45 years. 17.0% had pre-existing conditions and 25.9% received new diagnoses. Of the new diagnoses, 15.7% were acute medical conditions and 84.3% chronic medical conditions. The prevalence of CVRFs was higher in Southeast Asian and South Asian migrant workers compared with Chinese. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases on discharge was highest among Southeast Asians (49.4%).Conclusions The COVID-19 outbreak in a large number of migrant workers in Singapore unmasked a significant disease burden among them, increasing stakeholders’ interests in their welfare. Moving forward, system-level changes are necessary to deliver healthcare sustainably and effect improvements in migrant workers’ health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-028f3f1487b74fbb9ee8871ea937ee19 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-028f3f1487b74fbb9ee8871ea937ee192025-08-20T01:47:37ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-05-0112510.1136/bmjopen-2021-055903COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in SingaporeNatalie Liling Woong0Amanda Yun Rui Lam1Shaikh Abdul Matin Mattar2Ling Zhu3Tharmmambal Balakrishnan4Juliana Yin Li Kan5Orlanda Qi Mei Goh6Yuyang Tan7Shalini Sri Kumaran8Koin Lon Shum9Guozhang Lee10Chiara Jiamin Chong11Mei Ling Kang12Department of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeEmergency Department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People`s Republic of China1 Department of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, SingaporeObjectives This study aims to report the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and other non-communicable diseases among migrant workers in Singapore admitted for COVID-19 infection, to highlight disease burden and the need for changes in health screening and healthcare delivery in this unique population.Setting The study was conducted in the largest tertiary hospital in Singapore.Design Retrospective cross-sectional study.Participants 883 migrant workers who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection admitted to three isolation wards between 6 April 2020 and 31 May 2020 were included in this study.Outcome measures The outcome measures were the prevalence of pre-existing and newly diagnosed comorbid conditions and the prevalence of CVRFs—diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia—and non-communicable diseases at the time of discharge. The OR of having specific CVRFs depending on country of origin was generated via multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results The median age of our study population was 45 years. 17.0% had pre-existing conditions and 25.9% received new diagnoses. Of the new diagnoses, 15.7% were acute medical conditions and 84.3% chronic medical conditions. The prevalence of CVRFs was higher in Southeast Asian and South Asian migrant workers compared with Chinese. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases on discharge was highest among Southeast Asians (49.4%).Conclusions The COVID-19 outbreak in a large number of migrant workers in Singapore unmasked a significant disease burden among them, increasing stakeholders’ interests in their welfare. Moving forward, system-level changes are necessary to deliver healthcare sustainably and effect improvements in migrant workers’ health.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/5/e055903.full |
| spellingShingle | Natalie Liling Woong Amanda Yun Rui Lam Shaikh Abdul Matin Mattar Ling Zhu Tharmmambal Balakrishnan Juliana Yin Li Kan Orlanda Qi Mei Goh Yuyang Tan Shalini Sri Kumaran Koin Lon Shum Guozhang Lee Chiara Jiamin Chong Mei Ling Kang COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore BMJ Open |
| title | COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore |
| title_full | COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore |
| title_short | COVID-19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non-communicable diseases among migrant workers: a cross-sectional study in Singapore |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic unmasking cardiovascular risk factors and non communicable diseases among migrant workers a cross sectional study in singapore |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/5/e055903.full |
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