DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2026.v14i01.011

Pages: 67-74

Cooks are culinary professionals who play a crucial role in the preparation of food in various settings such as restaurants, hotels, catering services, and even private households. Their profession exposes them to regular inhalation of cooking fumes and other potential dangers. This study, thus, assessed the atherogenic lipid profile and pulmonary functions of female Cooks in Port Harcourt metropolis. The study employed a cross-sectional study on 50 cooks (using the Cochran’s formula and power analysis calculations with the power at 50%) and 50 of a similar group with the same socio-demographics who are non-cooks served as control subjects for the study. Ethical approval for the study was issued by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Rivers State University and as well as administrative permissions from local municipal authorities and cooking establishment owners in Port Harcourt. Subjects were recruited for the study only after signing a clearly stated consent forms. Biochemical analyses were done on blood sample obtained from the subjects to determine the lipid profile parameter (Total cholesterol, Triglycerides, High-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein). From the lipid profile parameters, the atherogenic indices viz: atherogenic index in plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC), and Castelli risk index (CRI) was assessed. An electronic Spirometer was used to assess lung functions: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FVC/FEV1 ratio. A sphygmomanometer was used to obtain systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and mean arterial pressure was determined. The result indicated a significant difference in the blood pressure of both groups. The lung functions showed remarkably raised levels of Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second and (FEV1/FVC ratio. This outcome is suggestive of a possible restrictive lung disorder in the cooks. For the atherogenic ind