Professional and executive women: health and lifestyle characteristics

Selected health characteristics of professional and executive women, and relationships among physical fitness, physical activity, and health characteristics in this group were examined. The health characteristics examined included stress, Type A patterns of behavior, substance use (alcohol, tranquilizers, and smoking), nutrition, health practices, safety, and relaxation. A convenience sample of 104 executive/professional women between the ages of 30 and 59 years, who were working full time, were administered the Canadian Standardized Test of Fitness (Step-Test) to measure cardiovascular fitness, the Framingham Type A Questionnaire, the Personal Life-style Questionnaire, the Physical Activity Questionnaire, and a visual analog scale to measure stress. The results suggest that executive women are significantly more fit than Canadian norms and that they tend to consume more alcohol and to smoke less. Demographically, they are more likely to be unmarried, childless, and have higher incomes than other Canadian women. Fitness levels are only associated (inversely) with smoking habits. Of interest are the high Type A scores, which are almost twice that of the Framingham norms. The possible consequences and implications of these findings are discussed.