Your current job could be affecting your chances of developing heart disease or going into stroke, a new study revealed.
If you're 45 years old or older and you work in an office, food service, or sales job, you may have more risk factors that can harm the health of your heart compared to individuals with managerial or professional occupations.
The report, which was presented at the annual Epidemiology/Lifestyle meeting of the American Heart Association in Phoenix, Arizona, involved 5,566 Caucasian and African-American men and women aged 45 and up who were all employed.
For the study, researchers examined seven adjustable risk factors called "Life's Simple 7": cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose level, smoking, body mass index (BMI), diet, and physical activity. They then rated workers in those categories as "ideal", "intermediate", or "poor."
Participants scored higher if without the help of medication, their total cholesterol levels were lower than 200 mg/dL, their blood pressure levels were lower than 120/80 mm Hg, and/or their blood glucose levels were lower than 100 mg/dL while fasting or 140 mg/dL without fasting.
Those who did not smoke, had a BMI in the normal range, and often engaged in physical activities four or more times a week also received high scores.
About 88 percent of the participants did not smoke and 78 percent of them had healthy blood sugar levels. However, 41 percent of them did not meet the "ideal cardiovascular health" when it came to cholesterol levels, blood pressure and other lifestyle factors.
In the end, the research team found wide differences in the heart disease risk profiles by profession.
Participants who worked in professional and managerial professions came out ahead overall. They had better ideal BMIs and blood pressure levels, and were more likely to be physically active and non-smokers.
Researchers found the following results:
1. Nearly 22 percent of transportation and material moving workers smoked, marking the highest smoking rate among the occupations in the report.
2. About 68 percent of employees in the field of sales, office and administrative support had poor eating habits.
3. Approximately 69 percent of sales employees did not have ideal total cholesterol levels.
4. About 82 percent of employees in office and administrative support did not have ideal scores for physical activity.
5. Roughly 90 percent of participants in the protective services such as firefighters, police, and security guards were more likely to be obese or overweight; 77 percent of them did not have ideal total cholesterol levels; and 35 percent had high levels of blood pressure.
6. Among employees in the field of food preparation and serving, 79 percent had poor diet quality, marking the worst score among the occupations in the report.
7. Lastly, management and professional workers had overall better heart health than all of the people in other job categories. In fact, one-third of management and professional employees had ideal BMI, 75 percent were moderately active, and only 6 percent were smokers. However, 72 percent of white-collar professionals in business and finance had poor eating habits.
Lead researcher Capt. Leslie MacDonald said the results of the study may be explained by work conditions such as low job control, long or irregular work hours, and low social support. All of these were linked in previous studies that focused on cardiovascular diseases and behavioral health.
With that, MacDonald said health promotion efforts and health screening that examine a person's work schedules and pressures are needed to be implemented.
"Clinicians should be aware that occupational exposures to stress, long and irregular work hours, poor air quality and certain chemicals and metals impact risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, independent of the influence of work on health behaviors," said MacDonald, who is a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
She said that it is important to take small steps, and not get discouraged or overwhelmed. These small steps include using lunch breaks to go for a walk rather than working through lunch. It could also be that workers could take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Over time, small steps could accumulate into better health, added MacDonald.
