Cardiovascular changes at work: relation with some individual risk factors

Heart rate (HR) acceleration during work which is accepted as a main cardiovascular response to stress could be influenced not only by the work itself but also by some behavioural variables. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of several individual characteristics (age, body mass index, arterial blood pressure, VO2max, leisure time physical activity, Type A behavior and neuroticism) on HR reactivity during work and rest. Sixty-nine male subjects practising several occupations (air traffic controllers, railway station controllers, managers, chemical operators, etc.) participated in the study. The common characteristic of all jobs was the presence of neuro-emotional strain of various degrees. The ECG Holter Medilog 4500 system was used for monitoring the HR during the working day. The HR at work was applied as a single dependent variable in the multiple regression analysis and the independent contribution of the following variables was evaluated: HR at rest, neuroticism and Type A behaviour pattern. They appeared to be the most significant determinants in this model and explained about 23% of the variation in HR during work. As second-rank predictors, age and leisure time physical activity led to a non-essential increase (up to 25%) of the multiple regression coefficient. In order to reduce the risk effects of health-related behaviours and individual patterns on the cardiovascular system it is recommended that a preventive approach based on behavioural modification should be adopted.