An unhealthy lifestyle is the most important cause of lifestyle-induced illness (diabetes, hypertension, liver enzyme abnormality, dyslipidemia etc.). This study was carried out to evaluate that relation between employees' lifestyle and their health status in a Korean electronic research and development company.

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional survey. 3,041 consecutive workers in a Korean R&D company were enrolled in this study. A checkup list for the health examination (from the National Health Insurance Coperation), which contained the information on the lifestyle, and the results of the health examination, which contained information on the body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and liver function tests (LFT, AST, ALT, gamma-GTP) and cholesterol profiles (total cholesterol, TG, HDL, LDL) were done for all the subjects. We evaluated the health profile as normal or abnormal. Statistical analysis of the health profiles and the lifestyle of the employees' was performing by using multiple logistic regression analysis.

The prevalence of ‘excessive alcohol drinking’ was 52.9% (n=1,610), that for ‘lack of exercise’ was 86.2% (n=2,662), that for ‘meat eating’ 12.2% (n=370) and that for ‘current smoker’ was 31.3% (n=952). According to results of health examination, the prevalence of obesity was 27.1% (n=824), hypertension was 7.1% (n=215), diabetes was 1.0% (n=30), abnormal LFT was 15.4% (n=469) and dyslipidemia was 18.7% (n=569). On multiple logistic regression analysis of the health profile and lifestyle, ‘meat eating’ was related to obesity, hypertension, abnormal LFT (ALT, gamma-GTP), dyslipidemia (LDL). ‘Excessive alcohol drinking’ was related to obesity, hypertension, abnormal LFT (gamma-GTP). ‘Lack of exercise’ was related to dyslipidemia (HDL). ‘Current smoker’ was related to obesity, diabetes, abnormal LFT (ALT, gamma-GTP), and dyslipidemia (TG, HDL) with statistically significance.

For workers in the R&D company, an unhealthy lifestyle (such as diet, alcohol drinking, lack of exercise and smoking) were related to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, abnormal LFT and dyslipidemia. Therefore health promotion is necessary for the young employees of an Korean R&D company.