Abstract
BackgroundGlobalisation and changes in the nature of work have resulted in increasing work-related stress in people in developing countries. Work stress is at present already acknowledged as one of the epidemics of modern working life. It is associated with a number of disease conditions, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, affective disorders, depression, disturbed metabolism (risk of Type II diabetes) and musculoskeletal disorders.ObjectiveThis study was a work site cross-sectional descriptive study carried out amongst the health workers at the Baptist Medical Centre Ogbomoso, Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. The aim of the study was to discern the prevalence of perceived work stress and to explore the relationship between perceived work stress and the presence of hypertension.MethodsA total of 324 consenting health workers of the institution were administered the job demand-control questionnaire to assess work stress. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and other personal data. Measurements of blood pressure, weight and height were carried out and body mass indices were calculated.ResultsMore than a quarter (26.2%) of the subjects perceived themself as stressed at work. The single largest group of hypertensive subjects was seen amongst subjects with work stress.ConclusionA significant number of health workers in this study is afflicted by work-related stress and perceived work stress was found to be significantly associated with higher hypertension prevalence.
Highlights
BackgroundTraditionally, the focus of occupational health and safety initiatives has been on chemical, biological and physical exposures, whilst the psychosocial risks at work are still largely neglected and their causes and consequences still insufficiently understood as they pertain to the developing http://www.phcfm.org doi:10.4102/phcfm.v4i1.307country context.[1]
Work-related stress follows a pattern of reactions that occurs when workers are presented with work demands not matched to their knowledge, skills or abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.[1]. It is defined as high psychological demands and low decision latitude on the job.[2,3]
More than a quarter of the health worker population was affected, and this suggests that there is a significant level of work stress amongst the health-care workers
Summary
BackgroundTraditionally, the focus of occupational health and safety initiatives has been on chemical, biological and physical exposures, whilst the psychosocial risks at work are still largely neglected and their causes and consequences still insufficiently understood as they pertain to the developing http://www.phcfm.org doi:10.4102/phcfm.v4i1.307country context.[1]. The ‘job strain’ model proposed by Karasek states that the combination of high job demands and low job decision latitude (high job strain or work stress) will lead to negative physical health outcomes such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.[5,6] According to a World Health Organisation publication,[1] hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases are amongst the main chronic diseases in the developed and developing countries and consume an important proportion of their public health budget. Work stress is at present already acknowledged as one of the epidemics of modern working life. It is associated with a number of disease conditions, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, affective disorders, depression, disturbed metabolism (risk of Type II diabetes) and musculoskeletal disorders
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