Work stress linked to poor heart health
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
People who reported work-related stress were more likely than those without that stress to have poor measures of heart health, a new study finds. The study was based on data collected between 2000 and 2004 from a multiethnic group of 3,579 adults ages 45 to 84 in the United States. Researchers assessed their cardiovascular health based on seven metrics: smoking, physical activity, body mass index, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Each metric contributed zero points (poor), one point (intermediate), or two points (ideal), for a range of 0 to 14 points. Twenty percent of the participants said they experienced work-related stress. After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers found that those people had 25% lower odds of having average scores (9–10 points) and 27% lower odds of having optimal scores (11–14 points) compared with people without work-related stress. The results confirm earlier findings and support the importance of workplace wellness programs designed to manage stress, according to the study authors. They published their findings Nov. 19, 2024, in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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