Work-Related Stress Is Associated With Unfavorable Cardiovascular Health: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Work-related stress is a psychosocial risk factor linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the association between work-related stress and cardiovascular health (CVH) is not well established. We estimated the association between work-related stress and CVH in a multiethnic sample of adults free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 3579 community-based men and women, aged 45 to 84 years, of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis from data collected between 2000 and 2002. Work-related stress (yes/no) was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. CVH was measured by the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 metrics (smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose). Each metric contributed 0, 1, or 2 points if in the poor, intermediate, or ideal range, respectively. The aggregated CVH score was 0 to 14 points and categorized as inadequate (0-8 points), average (9-10 points), and optimal (11-14 points). Polytomous logistic regression was used to estimate the association between work-related stress and CVH, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. The mean±SD age was 57±8 years, and 48% were women. Work-related stress was reported by 20% of participants. In fully adjusted models, participants with work-related stress had lower odds of having average (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.75 [95% CI, 0.62-0.92]) and optimal (adjusted OR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.58-0.92]) CVH scores compared with participants without work-related stress.

Work-related stress was associated with unfavorable CVH. These findings underscore the importance of workplace psychological well-being and suggest the need for studies on interventions that may reduce work-related stress and promote CVH.