Establishment of an index system for evaluation of suboptimal health status among ocean seamen

Objective To construct an index system for the evaluation of suboptimal health status among ocean seamen.Methods A total of 1 045 ocean seamen taking physical examination at Fujian International Travel Health Care Center were selected and surveyed face-to-face with a general questionnaire and a self-designed scale on suboptimal health, medical examination, and laboratory test during January to June 2013.Results The eligible information were collected from 1 007 seamen and the response rate was 96.36%.The suboptimal health status scale had good reliability and validity, with an overall Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.94 and 3 common factors explaining 51.71%of total variation.The levels of body mass index(BMI), triglycerides(TG), and IgA were statistically significant different among the ocean seaman groups with different physical suboptimal health status scores(all P<0.05).Conclusion The suboptimal health status scale and the three objective indicators of BMI, TG and IgA can be used in comprehensive evaluation of sub-health state among ocean seamen.