Service Workers at Greater Risk for CHD, Stroke

Risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke was greater in blue-collar and service workers compared to white-collar workers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In order to prevent 1 million adverse cardiovascular events by the year 2017, the CDC established the Total Worker Health Program to promote cardiovascular health, and in order to determine whom the program would benefit, researchers from the CDC evaluated the affluence of CHD and stroke among people aged 18 to 55 years using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) taken from 2008 to 2012. The survey was categorized by employment industry, occupation, and status of employment.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Longer Duration of Obesity Tied to Higher Risk of CHD
Music Reduces Stress in Coronary Heart Disease Patients
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After researchers adjusted for sex and age, results showed that 1.9% of employed adults under the age of 55 years had a history of stroke or CHD compared to 2.5% of unemployed adults.

Additionally, investigators found that among employed individuals, there was a 40% greater risk in developing CHD and stroke in blue-collar workers and a 53% higher risk in service workers, compared to white-collar workers.

The CDC defines blue-collar workers as those similar to truck drivers, construction workers, and factory workers; they consider vocational professionals such as a cook, a hairdresser, and a nurse’s aid to be service workers.

The complete study is published in the August issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

Luckhaupt SE, Calvert GM. Prevalence of coronary heart disease or stroke among workers aged <55 years—United States, 2008-2012. MMWR. 2014;63(30):645-649.