Cardiovascular health and workload in university workers

High workloads contribute to the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. One contributing factor is the difficulty in minimizing the effects of work overload on activities of daily living.

To determine whether there is an association between workload and cardiovascular health among employees of a higher education institution.

An analytical cross-sectional study of 121 employees. Workload was measured by a self-report questionnaire. Cardiovascular health was assessed using seven measures (diet, physical activity, body mass index, smoking, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Questionnaire were used to assess physical activity and diet, respectively.

71 women (58.7%) and 50 men (41.3%) participated. Employees working > 40 hours/week (44.6%) had higher body mass index (∆ = +2.2 kg/m², p = 0.015), blood pressure (systolic blood pressure: ∆ = +8.6 mmHg, p = 0.002; diastolic blood pressure: ∆ = +4.1 mmHg; p = 0.032) and lower cardiovascular health score (∆= -1.1; p = 0.009). There was a positive correlation between working hours and body mass index (p = 0.013) and systemic blood pressure (p = 0.08), and a negative correlation for cardiovascular health score (p = 0.047).

Workers with a workload > 40 hours/week may be susceptible to worse cardiovascular health, especially in terms of obesity and systemic blood pressure.