Cardiovascular Health Trends Among Korean Working Women: 7-Year Trend Analysis by Workplace Size Using the Female...

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) impact the working population, with disparities by workplace size. Despite increasing female workforce participation, research on their cardiovascular health remains limited. This retrospective cross-sectional study is a secondary data analysis using the Female Employees Database from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS-FEM DB), which includes health examination, sociodemographic, and medical treatment information for a sample of Korean working women. This study analyzed 53 574 women in South Korea using the NHIS-FEM DB from 2009 to 2015. Repeated measures ANOVA assessed cardiovascular health changes by workplace size. Significant time-group interactions were observed for diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting glucose (FG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and CVD risk (all p < 0.01). Working women in small/medium-sized enterprises (SMSE) experienced a significantly faster increase in DBP and FG over time than those in large-sized enterprises (LSE), suggesting a widening cardiometabolic gap driven by workplace size-related structural disparities. These trends suggest that workplace-related structural factors may contribute to the cumulative burden of cardiometabolic risk. Targeted workplace health policies, particularly, in SMSE, could mitigate CVD risks and improve well-being.