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Relationship between cardiovascular disease morbidity, risk factors, and stress in a law enforcement cohort

Warren D Franke1, Sandra L Ramey, Mack C Shelley

  • 1Department of Health and Human Performance, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. sramey@gvc.edu

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|December 26, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) do not have higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates than the general population. However, perceived stress in LEOs is linked to CVD and risk factors, increasing with time in the profession.

Area of Science:

  • Occupational Health
  • Cardiovascular Epidemiology
  • Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

  • Law enforcement officers (LEOs) face unique occupational stressors.
  • The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the impact of perceived stress on LEOs' cardiovascular health remain unclear.
  • CVD encompasses conditions like coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare CVD risk factors and prevalence between male LEOs and a general male population.
  • To investigate the association between perceived stress and CVD in LEOs.
  • To determine if perceived stress modifies the relationship between occupational factors and CVD risk.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study comparing self-reported CVD risk factors and diagnosed CVD in male LEOs versus similarly-aged males with similar incomes.
  • Analysis of CVD prevalence in a subset of LEOs and the general population.
  • Logistic regression models to assess predictors of CVD and the influence of perceived stress among LEOs.

Main Results:

  • LEOs reported higher rates of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, tobacco use, and elevated BMI compared to the general population.
  • No significant difference in overall CVD prevalence was found between LEOs and the general population.
  • Among LEOs, time in profession, perceived stress, and hypertension predicted CVD. Perceived stress was associated with CVD and affected cholesterol, hypertension, and physical activity levels. Perceived stress increased with years on the job.

Conclusions:

  • While LEOs do not exhibit higher CVD prevalence, they report more risk factors.
  • Perceived stress is a significant factor associated with CVD and its risk factors among LEOs.
  • Occupational stress, particularly perceived stress, may directly and indirectly contribute to cardiovascular disease in law enforcement officers, with effects intensifying over time in the profession.

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