ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Cleaners are three times more likely to develop Type Two Diabetes than university teachers and physiotherapists, according to a new study.

And professional drivers and manufacturing workers face a similar level of risk, while specialist managers and dental hygienists are much less likely to fall victim to the disease.

Researchers from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute analysed the jobs and health of 4,550,892 people living in Sweden. They discovered that the overall prevalence of Type Two Diabetes was 4.2 per cent, but analysis revealed striking differences between occupational groups.

The level of risk recorded for female cleaners was 5.1 per cent - significantly higher than that of specialist managers who faced a risk of just 1.2 per cent.

As for men, the prevalence of diabetes among professional drivers stood at 8.8 per cent compared with 7.8 per cent for manufacturing workers and just 2.5 per cent for computer scientists. And physiotherapists, dental hygienists and secondary education teachers had a 45-46 per cent lower risk of contracting the disease than the most at-risk groups.

Study author Dr Sofia Carlsson believes the disparities may be linked to lifestyle risk factors. For example the drivers, manufacturing workers and cleaners who took part in the study were all significantly more likely to be smokers, have lower levels of physical fitness and be more overweight than the teachers and physiotherapists.

"If a job title can be used as a risk indicator of T2DM, it can be used to identify groups for targeted interventions," said Carlsson. "And hopefully this will inspire employers to implement diabetes prevention programmes tailored to their workforces."