Abstract
As an intermediate endpoint to cardiovascular disease, arterial stiffness has received much attention recently. So far, the research on work stress and arterial stiffness is still sparse and inconsistent, and no investigations on work stress and cardiovascular health among the Thai working population have been reported. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological study among 2141 Thai enterprise employees (858 men and 1283 women) who were free from any diagnosed cardiovascular disease. Work stress was measured using Karasek’s Job Demand–Control model for job strain (a combination of high demand and low control). Arterial stiffness was evaluated by a non-invasive approach using pulse-wave analysis based on a finger photoplethysmogram. Multivariable linear regression was applied to examine associations between job strain and arterial stiffness. In men, job strain was significantly associated with arterial stiffness (β = 0.078, 95% confidence interval = 0.026 to 0.130), after accounting for sociodemographic, behavioral, dietary and biomedical factors. However, the association in women was not significant. As the first study in Thailand on work stress and cardiovascular risk, we found that job strain might be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease among Thai working men. Further studies with longitudinal design are warranted.
Highlights
As the leading cause of mortality, cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately one third of all deaths worldwide
The lifestyle behaviors were relatively healthy in Thai female employees, who very seldom smoked or drank alcohol, engaged more in physical exercise; and 60% of women had vegetable intake daily
Using the fully adjusted model, we found that, in men, high demand was significantly associated with arterial stiffness; high job strain in terms of high demand in combination with low control exerted the strongest effect on arterial stiffness (β = 0.078, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.026 to 0.130)
Summary
As the leading cause of mortality, cardiovascular disease (primarily coronary health disease and stroke) accounts for approximately one third of all deaths worldwide. It is estimated that work stress is associated with a 10–40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease [2]. Karasek’s Job Demand–Control model, which postulates that job strain results from the joint effects of high job demand and low job control [3], has been widely used in work stress epidemiological research. A large collaboration that included 13–14 cohort studies, among nearly 200,000 workers, revealed that job strain increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 23% [4] and of ischemic stroke by 24% [5]. When focusing on early prevention strategies for stress-related cardiovascular disease at work, it is important to gain some insight into the different stages of the cardiovascular disease process
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