Contributing Risk Factors for Chronic Health Conditions among Oil Drilling Workers: A Predictive Modeling Approach

Abstract

Chronic health conditions among oil drilling workers represent a significant occupational health challenge in the oil and gas industry. Previous studies have described the prevalence of occupational health outcomes, but there is a need to understand how contributing factors affect chronic health outcomes. This study adopted a cross-sectional design aimed at identifying and quantifying contributing risk factors associated with chronic health conditions among oil drilling workers using logistic regression modelling. A total of 350 oil drilling workers across the Niger Delta region participated in the study. Structured questionnaires captured data on work-related factors (physical job demands, work control/autonomy, exposure frequency), organisational factors (supervisor support, organisational stress support, PPE usage), personal factors (smoking status, exercise frequency), and demographic characteristics (age, years of experience). Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine associations between predictor variables and chronic health outcomes. Results revealed that exposure frequency emerged as the strongest work-related predictor (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 2.10-2.13, p < 0.001), with each unit increase associated with 111.4% increased odds of chronic health conditions. Organisational stress support demonstrated substantial protective effects (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.50-0.51, p < 0.001), reducing health risk odds by 49.4%. Personal factors showed that smoking increased risk by 29.1% (OR = 1.29, p < 0.001), while exercise frequency decreased risk by 29.4% (OR = 0.71, p < 0.001). Age group emerged as the strongest demographic predictor, with each unit increase associated with 64.9% increased odds (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.63-1.66, p < 0.001). These findings provide evidence that chronic health conditions among oil drilling workers are influenced by multiple interacting factors across work-related, organisational, personal, and demographic domains, supporting the necessity of multifaceted approaches to occupational health management.