According to a 2023 survey by the American Psychiatric Association, work-related stress affects approximately 77% of the US working population. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in October 2024 sought to determine whether this stress is connected with adverse cardiovascular health. Using the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort, Ogunmoroti and colleagues measured cardiovascular health metrics against the presence of workplace stress. The study has implications for workplace wellness measures that may improve both mental and physical health, as well as reduce health spending on cardiovascular disease.
The study measured cardiovascular health (CHV) using “Life’s Simple 7” modifiable factors: smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose. These factors were measured using a combination of self-reported surveys, bloodwork, and physical examinations. Each factor was assigned a value, which was summed to obtain the CVH score: poor (0 points), intermediate (1 point), and ideal (2 points). The CVH score was categorized as being inadequate (0–8 points), average (9–10 points), and optimal (11–14 points).
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Out of the 3,579 study participants, 48% were women, with a mean age of 57 years. The study accounted for variables such as age, sex, race/ethnicity (white, Chinese, Black, Hispanic), education (above or below a Bachelor’s degree), income (above or below $40,000 per year) and health insurance (yes or no). Workplace stress was measured as a self-reported yes or no, then “yes” responses were again sorted into having lasted for longer or shorter than six months.
Overall, participants with work-related stress were 25% less likely to have “average” and 27% less likely to have “optimal” CVH scores than participants without work-related stress, as compared to “inadequate” CVH scores. This trend extended to individual metrics, with work-stressed study participants being 46% less likely than non-stressed participants to achieve more than one ideal CVH metric. Specifically, ideal physical activity was 30% less likely in participants with work-related stress. This was also seen when work-related stress was present for longer than six months.
Study participants with work-related stress were more likely to be younger than age 65 years, women, and white. The authors noted that retirement over the age of 65 years and sample size by race may have affected these measures. However, age, sex, and race did not affect the relationship between work-related stress and low CVH score.
In the US in 2024, GlobalData epidemiologists forecast that there will be 48 million diagnosed prevalent cases of overweight (BMI ≥25kg/m²), 23 million diagnosed prevalent cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 76 million total prevalent cases of increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and 102 million diagnosed prevalent cases of hypertension. As 63% of Americans older than age 16 years are in the workforce, there may be an opportunity to reduce this caseload by focusing on reducing work-related stress.
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By GlobalData