Natl. J. Physiol. Pharm. Pharmacol. (2025), Vol. 15(1): 28–32

Original Research

10.5455/NJPPP.2025.v15.i1.5

A comparative study of serum lipids between housewives and working women in the North Eastern Coastal District of Andhra Pradesh

Lakshmi Sarapalli^1*, Padmavathi Bolem², Lodugu Reshma Shireesha³, Sathianesan Bethiun⁴ and Ramalingam Premaraja⁵

¹Physiology Department, Government Medical College Vizianagaram, Vizianagaram, India

²Department of General Medicine, Government Medical College Vizianagaram, Vizianagaram, India

³Department of Physiology, Government Medical College Srikakulum, Srikakulum, India

⁴Department of Physiology, NRI Institute of Medical Sciences,Visakhapatnam, India

⁵Department of Physiology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Center Trichy, Tiruchirapalli, India

*Corresponding Author: Lakshmi Sarapalli. Physiology Department, Government Medical College Vizianagaram, Vizianagaram, India. Email: dr.lakshmi7240 [at] gmail.com

Submitted: 12/07/2024 Accepted: 08/12/2024 Published: 31/01/2025

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Abstract

Background: Employment as such does not appear to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease and may in fact have a beneficial effect on health. Although there is at present a paucity of reliable data, several key points emerge. In general, working women are in better health than homemakers or unemployed women. Among working women perception of control over the job environment may be a more important predictor of risk than the level of job stress. Health appears to be compromised most among women who perceive little control over their lives. Although multiple social roles of wife, mother, and employee seem to enhance health, too much intensity in any one role may be detrimental. Both physical and psychological factors significantly impact women’s health, emphasizing the importance of integrated care that addresses the whole person, not just the disease. Therefore, our study aims to observe and compare the effects of serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels between housewives and working women.

Objectives: This study aims to observe and compare the effects of serum TC, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and TG levels between housewives and working women.

Materials and Methods: 20 housewives and 20 working women subjects were selected. Data were collected through clinical evaluation, questionnaires, and laboratory investigations. Parametric tests, independent sample t-tests, and non-parametric Mann-Whitney tests have been applied to see the difference between the two groups.

Results: The mean body mass index (BMI) is similar in both housewives and working women (p-value is 0.28). The mean TC levels are higher in the housewives group when compared to the working women group, but this difference is not found to be significant (p-value is 0.315). The mean HDL level is similar in both the housewives group and the working group (p-value is 0.778).

Conclusion: There is no significant statistical difference in serum lipid profile and BMI in both housewives and working women. Maybe because of the small sample size, our study could not find significant differences between the groups.

Keywords: Lipids, BMI.

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Introduction

The serum lipid profile is one of the major risk factors for many diseases; apart from cardiovascular disease (CVD), its levels are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and several cancers (Bali and Utaal, 2019). Levels of plasma lipids are good indicators of the risk of CVD. An increase in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is related to a greater prevalence of atherosclerotic heart disease.

However, elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol may protect against atherosclerotic heart disease due to its ability to prevent excessive accumulation of cholesterol in the body. High cholesterol levels are estimated to cause 56% of global ischemic heart disease (Baruah and Baruah, 2016).

Worldwide, there is a wide variation in the mean population cholesterol levels. A steady increase in cholesterol levels was noted in Asian countries, and the trend was increasing faster in urban areas than in rural areas (Rodgers and Vaughan, 2002). The intriguing apolipoprotein [a] has been found to play a role in cancer progression; proteolytic breakdown products of this lipoprotein have been found to possess anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorogenic properties (Saba and Ajibade, 2012). Recently, lipoproteins have been studied for their potential role in targeted (chemotherapy) drug delivery in several cancers. A recent study at the Free University of Berlin by Nikolaus Buchmann revealed a positive correlation between lung volume and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in women (Gordon et al., 2016).

Fig. 1. Comparison of age, BMI, TC, HDL, LDL, VLDL, and TG between housewives and working women.

Various factors may be involved in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors; one such reported factor is occupation. In the Framingham Study, the combination of job and family responsibility roles was found to exert a great deal of pressure on women; women with job satisfaction faced lower health risks. According to the Framingham Study, increased pressure and dissatisfaction contribute to poor health (Nissinen et al., 2001). A higher rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) among unmarried working women is reported in another Framingham Study publication (Azizi et al., 2002). La Rosa demonstrated that working women are in better health than homemakers or unemployed women (Verbrugge, 1984). Haynes and Feinleib showed that interpersonal relationships, coping styles, and the occupations of some employed women, coupled with family responsibilities, may be instrumental in the development of CHD (Eaker et al., 2004). Since there is a lack of related information on Indian women, the relationship between women’s occupations and cardiovascular risk factors was investigated in this study.

Aims and objectives

This study aims to observe and compare the effects of serum total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels between housewives and working women.

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Materials and Methods

Study population

20 housewives and 20 working women were selected. Working women belong to the health care sector—doctors. Women in both groups with an age range of 30–50 years and evidently good health were selected from the society. History-taking was performed, and women who belong to the average to high socioeconomic group were included. Dietary history was obtained from all the participants. Our study group were non-vegetarians.

Individuals in both groups were not practicing regular exercise. Data were collected through clinical evaluation, questionnaires, and laboratory investigations. Written consent was obtained from subjects after their requirements for participation in the study were explained.

Sample size: 40.

Inclusion criteria

Age group: 30–50 years, Sex: Females, Socio-economic status: average to high, Dietary habits: non-vegetarian, No pre-existing diseases.

Exclusion criteria

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac disease, recent myocardial infarction, renal failure, women using oral contraceptives, personal habits: smoking and alcohol, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients.

Table 1. Observation of different parameters and their mean values between housewives and working women.

Anthropometric measurements

The height and weight of the subjects were measured using standard methodology with the help of an inch tape and weighing machine, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the Quetelet Index using the formula Wt(kg)/Ht(mt²).

Biochemical analysis

After 12 hours of overnight fasting, 5 ml of blood samples were obtained by venipuncture from the cubital fossa in a sterile tube using a dispovan. The blood samples were allowed to clot for 45 minutes and then carefully centrifuged at 3,000 r.p.m. for 10 minutes. Clear serum samples were obtained for the analysis of biochemical parameters. TC was determined by the cholesterol oxidase and presence of peroxidase method using the reagent cholesterol (S.L.) R1. TG were determined by the enzymatic calorimetric method (Glycerol-3-Phosphate Oxidase Phenol Aminophenazone) using the TG (S.L.) R1 reagent. HDL cholesterol was determined by the selective immunoprecipitation method using the HDL-C Direct R2 reagent. LDL cholesterol was calculated using the following equation (Friedwald formula): LDL cholesterol=TC minus VLDL cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol VLDL cholesterol was calculated by using the following equation: VLDL cholesterol=TG × 0.02.

Statistics

Data were analyzed using the statistical package for the Social Sciences 21 version. Parametric independent sample t-tests and non-parametric Mann-Whitney tests were applied to see the difference between the two groups.

Ethical considerations

Prior permission was obtained from the institutional ethics committee at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam. Written informed consent was obtained from each individual in the study.

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Observations and Results

The findings of the current study show that the 20 housewives subjects aged 30–50 years (Fig. 1, mean 41.15 years) and the 20 working women subjects aged between 30 and 50 years (mean 40.10 years). The mean BMI of housewives is 25.845 and that of working women is 24.510 (Table 1)(p-value=0.28).

The mean TC levels are higher in the housewives group when compared to the working women group, but this difference is not found to be significant (p-value is 0.315).

The mean HDL level is similar in both the housewives group and the working group (p-value is 0.778).

There is no significant statistical difference in serum lipids or BMI in both groups.

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Discussion

Owing to demographic transition and changing lifestyles (La Rosa, 1988), the prevalence of CVD, a major health burden in industrialized countries, is now also rapidly increasing in developing countries. Lipids being the most common risk factor for many diseases, especially CVD is engrossing many researchers to work on it.

With the alarming rise in women’s physical and mental health issues, this study is intended to observe and compare the risk factors of total serum lipid levels between housewives and working women, which is a leading cause of many disorders—CVD cancers such as prostate, lung, ovaries, colon, and so on, and Alzheimer’s disease. The present study contributes data about serum lipid levels in both housewives and working women staying in urban areas who belong to the same socioeconomic group.

In a study done by Ainy and Azizi (2007) BMI, waist circumference, TC, TG, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures are higher among housewives as compared to working women whereas in the present study we found that there is no statistical difference between housewives and working women.

According to Ainy and Azizi (2007) for housewives, the prevalence of having 4–6 cardiovascular risk factors was double that of working women. The prevalence of having 7–8 risk factors was 1% in housewives but in the present study, we did not include this parameter as our sample size was less.

The THUSA Survey (Oosthuizen et al., 2002; Khoo et al ., 2003) showed that women in urban areas were more at risk of increasing TC, LDL, TG, and HDL levels but in our study, we did not find such changes.

Reddy et al. (1994) in their study, showed higher cholesterol levels in the urban group compared with the rural Indian population whereas in our study as rural population was not included hence their results are not much relevant to compare.

The studies by Steyn et al. (1997) on the black population in Cape Peninsula showed that subjects living in urban settings have no effect on TC concentration which is similar to the present study, we found that there is no significant difference between the groups that belong to the urban population.

Salient features of this study

• Follow-up is planned for further research and analysis.
• Blood samples were collected during the fasting phase in the early morning to avoid alterations in the serum lipid level.
• This data provides a way to predict the future risk of CVD, Alzheimer’s disease, and several cancers.

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Limitations

• Daily calorie consumption
• The study group is small.

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Recommendations

Levels of LDL have been found to be elevated in several cancers. HDL levels, conversely, have been found to have a negative correlation with the prevalence of most cancers; this protective effect is presumed to be due to the anti-inflammatory properties of HDL. Therefore, comprehensive research studies need to be planned for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

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Conclusion

There is no significant statistical difference in serum lipid profile or BMI between housewives and working women. Maybe because of the small sample size, our study could not find significant differences between the groups.

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List of Abbreviations

BMI, Body mass index; CVD, Cardiovascular disease; HDL, High-density lipoprotein; LDL, Low-density lipoprotein; TC, Total cholesterol; TG, Triglycerides; VLDL, Very low-density lipoprotein.

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Acknowledgment

The authors owe their utmost sincere thanks to Dr. M. Usha Rani, M.D., Professor & HOD, Department of Physiology, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, for her constant supervision and kind guidance, without whose help this work could not have happened.

The authors sincerely thank Dr. Padmavathi Bolem, Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, and Dr. Premaraja, Professor, Department of Physiology, for their kind support of this study.

The authors specially thank Dr. S. Bethiun Madam, M.D., Professor and Head of the Department of Physiology at the NRI Institute of Medical Sciences, for their timely advice and kind help.

The authors are very grateful to their associate professor Dr. Lodugu Reshma Shireesha and all assistant professors for their support and cooperation during this study.

They sincerely express their thanks to all the subjects in the general medicine department at King George Hospital. I offer my sincere thanks to Dr. P.V. Sudhakar sir, M.S., M.Ch., DNB, FAIS, and FICS, Principal of Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, who permitted me to carry out this work in the Department of Physiology.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Funding

The author(s) declare that funding is provided by ReNsure Health Care Private Limited, one of the unit in Iruvada, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, for conducting blood investigations as well as for publication.

Authors’ contributions

Dr. Lakshmi Sarapalli: original draft, Validation, Software, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Dr.Padmavathi Bolem: Data collection, Investigation. Dr. Lodugu Reshma Shireesha: Data curation, Resources. Dr.S.Bethiun: Statistics analysis, Project administration. Dr. R. Premaraja: review & editing.

Data availability

Working women’s data were collected from doctors who are working in Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam whereas data from housewives was obtained from doctors who are not working and staying at home due to their personal reasons.

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