Impact of occupational environmental stressors on blood pressure changes and on incident cases of hypertension: a 5-year follow-up from the VISAT study

Work environment and hypertension in industrial settings in Benin in 2019: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between occupational factors, particularly psychosocial factors, and hypertension.

DESIGN

Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study using logistic multivariate regression.

SETTING

Fifteen cotton ginning plants in Benin.

PARTICIPANTS

Permanent and occasional workers in the cotton ginning industry.

DATA COLLECTION

Data on sociodemographic, occupational, behavioural and clinical history characteristics were collected using a number of standardised, interviewer-administered questionnaires. These questionnaires were based on the WHO's non-communicable disease questionnaire, Karasek questionnaire and Siegrist questionnaire. Weight, height and blood pressure were measured. Any worker with systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg according to the WHO criteria was considered hypertensive, as was any subject on antihypertensive treatment even if blood pressure was normal.

RESULTS

A total of 1883 workers were included, with a male to female ratio of 9.08. Of these, 510 suffered from hypertension (27.1%, 95% CI 25.1 to 29.2). In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors identified were occupational stress (adjusted OR (aOR)=3.96, 95% CI 1.28 to 12.2), age ≥25 years (aOR=2.77, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.96), body mass index of 25-30 kg/m2 (aOR=1.71, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.2), body mass index >30 kg/m2 (aOR=2.74, 95% CI 1.84 to 4.09), permanent worker status (aOR=1.66, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.41) and seniority in the textile sector >5 years (aOR=2.18, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.8). Recognition at work emerged as an effect-modifying factor subject to stratification.

CONCLUSIONS

Occupational factors, particularly job strain and recognition at work, are modifiable factors associated with hypertension in the ginning plants sector and deserve to be corrected through occupational health promotion and prevention.

Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among public servants in Ejisu-Juaben municipality, Ghana

OBJECTIVES

We determined the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among public servants of Ejisu Juaben municipality.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of hypertension was 29.3% (95%CI:22.5-36.1%) and only 8.6% of the participants were aware of their hypertensive status. Respondents who were > 40 years were twice as likely to develop hypertension compared to those who were ≤ 40 years [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-5.32]. Those who were married were 2.54 times more likely to be hypertensive compared with those unmarried [AOR = 2.54, 95%CI: 1.06-6.08]. Compared to health workers, Judicial and Security service workers were almost five times more likely to be hypertensive [AOR = 4.77, 95%CI: 1.20-18.96]. Being overweight [AOR = 2.25, 95%CI: 1.06-6.41] and obese [AOR = 4.80, 95%CI: 1.82-12.91] was associated with increased odds of hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension among the participants in this study is high. Employee wellness programs are needed at workplaces and the Ghana Health Service must adopt targeted intervention programs such as regular screening for non-communicable diseases and promotion of physical activities at the workplace.

Relationship Between Psychosocial Stress and Blood Pressure: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study

Introduction

Various domains of psychosocial stress have been significantly related to blood pressure. However, ambiguity is present in how these relationships are defined in the literature.

Objective

To add to the existing literature and examine the relationship between psychosocial stress (financial strain and job strain) and other cofactors on blood pressure.

Methods

This secondary analysis is designed to analyze the relationship between levels of job and financial stress and blood pressure outcomes among participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Heart Study 2004-2008. The descriptive, cross-sectional design uses data from a subset of study participants, 350 White and 195 Black (n = 545), 338 female (62%), and all aged 18-56 years. Psychosocial stress was measured using the Singh Stress Scale. Resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure values obtained on a stress reactivity protocol day in the primary study, as well as calculated mean arterial pressure (MAP) were used for this analysis. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between psychosocial stress and blood pressure.

Results

In this young cohort, self-report of either financial strain or job strain was associated with lower blood pressure levels than those of participants who reported neither stressor. Differential sex and race effects appear to contribute to these results. Blood pressure levels were not significantly associated with self-report of both stressors.

Conclusion

Understanding the effects of various forms of stress on blood pressure may inform more precise HTN risk-factor screening and interventions to improve BP management.

Investigating the effects of occupational and environmental noise on cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study aimed to use a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between occupational and non-occupational noise exposure expressed in various studies with cardiovascular disease. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis study based on PRISMA checklist. In this study, the researchers searched five international databases of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ISI/web of knowledge, and Google Scholar. Search keywords included two categories noise and noise pollution, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist was used to review and control the quality of the articles. After all screening stage 139 articles entered the final analysis. The results show that except for East African environmental studies and workplace studies in East Asia, Western Asia, and Northern Europe, there was a significant association between noise exposure and cardiovascular disease. Also, there was a significant difference between the intensity of sound and blood pressure in workers (OR = 1.28, CI 95%: 1.15-1.42, P < 0.001). Based on the results of environmental noise, there was a significant difference between ambient noise intensity and blood pressure (OR = 1.55, CI 95%: 1.53-1.57, P < 0.001). It can be concluded that it is very important to study and identify jobs or living environments with less than the recommended noise level and in addition to hearing aids that occur in over-standard exposures, such as cardiovascular disease.

Health and work in Brazil: physical and psychosocial demands

This study aims to describe the prevalence and factors associated of physical and psychosocial demands among Brazilian workers. Data were obtained from the 2013 Brazilian National Health Survey. Physical demand was defined as jobs that require intense physical effort or excessive walking, whereas psychosocial demand was defined as involvement in stressful activities. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association between demands and health conditions, occupational characteristics, and work conditions. Out of 39,590 participants, 54.4% reported physical demands and 35.5% psychosocial demands at work. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, occupational characteristics, and work conditions remained significantly associated with physical or psychosocial workload. The results suggest that in Brazil the work has a high level of physical and psychosocial demands, which are associated with occupational features and health conditions. It is necessary to incorporate work activities as significant factors to investigate the causes of diseases. And the interventions and policies aimed at preventing the negative occupational exposures are urgent, and can contribute to improve physical and psychosocial health at the workplace.

The effect of occupational exposure to noise on ischaemic heart disease, stroke and hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-Related Burden of Disease and Injury

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large number of individual experts. Evidence from mechanistic data suggests that occupational exposure to noise may cause cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from CVD that are attributable to occupational exposure to noise, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyse estimates of the effect of any (high) occupational exposure to noise (≥85 dBA), compared with no (low) occupational exposure to noise (<85 dBA), on the prevalence, incidence and mortality of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, and hypertension.

DATA SOURCES

A protocol was developed and published, applying the Navigation Guide as an organizing systematic review framework where feasible. We searched electronic academic databases for potentially relevant records from published and unpublished studies up to 1 April 2019, including International Trials Register, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Scopus, Web of Science, and CISDOC. The MEDLINE and Pubmed searches were updated on 31 January 2020. We also searched grey literature databases, Internet search engines and organizational websites; hand-searched reference lists of previous systematic reviews and included study records; and consulted additional experts.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY AND CRITERIA

We included working-age (≥15 years) workers in the formal and informal economy in any WHO and/or ILO Member State but excluded children (<15 years) and unpaid domestic workers. We included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and other non-randomized intervention studies with an estimate of the effect of any occupational exposure to noise on CVD prevalence, incidence or mortality, compared with the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (<85 dBA).

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

At least two review authors independently screened titles and abstracts against the eligibility criteria at a first stage and full texts of potentially eligible records at a second stage, followed by extraction of data from qualifying studies. We prioritized evidence from cohort studies and combined relative risk estimates using random-effect meta-analysis. To assess the robustness of findings, we conducted sensitivity analyses (leave-one-out meta-analysis and used as alternative fixed effects and inverse-variance heterogeneity estimators). At least two review authors assessed the risk of bias, quality of evidence and strength of evidence, using Navigation Guide tools and approaches adapted to this project.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies (11 cohort studies, six case-control studies) met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 534,688 participants (39,947 or 7.47% females) in 11 countries in three WHO regions (the Americas, Europe, and the Western Pacific). The exposure was generally assessed with dosimetry, sound level meter and/or official or company records. The outcome was most commonly assessed using health records. We are very uncertain (low quality of evidence) about the effect of occupational exposure to noise (≥85 dBA), compared with no occupational exposure to noise (<85 dBA), on: having IHD (0 studies); acquiring IHD (relative risk (RR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.15 to 1.43, two studies, 11,758 participants, I² 0%); dying from IHD (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.93-1.14, four studies, 198,926 participants, I² 26%); having stroke (0 studies); acquiring stroke (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.82-1.65, two studies, 170,000 participants, I² 0%); dying from stroke (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93-1.12, three studies, 195,539 participants, I² 0%); having hypertension (0 studies); acquiring hypertension (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.90-1.28, three studies, four estimates, 147,820 participants, I² 52%); and dying from hypertension (0 studies). Data for subgroup analyses were missing. Sensitivity analyses supported the main analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

For acquiring IHD, we judged the existing body of evidence from human data to provide "limited evidence of harmfulness"; a positive relationship is observed between exposure and outcome where chance, bias, and confounding cannot be ruled out with reasonable confidence. For all other included outcomes, the bodies of evidence were judged as "inadequate evidence of harmfulness". Producing estimates for the burden of CVD attributable to occupational exposure to noise appears to not be evidence-based at this time.

PROTOCOL IDENTIFIER

10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.040.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42018092272.

[Workers especially sensitive to cardiovascular risk]

OBJECTIVE

Of the 607 fatal work accidents produced in Spain in 2016, 37.9% were due to ischemic heart disease and cerebral stroke. Working conditions such as night work, noise or respiratory pollutants are associated with higher cardiovascular incidence. The objective of the present study was to assess whether health surveillance in workers exposed to these conditions should include the assessment of cardiovascular risk.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 680 workers in a public administration. The working conditions were obtained from the business risk assessment and the personal data that allowed the cardiovascular risk assessment, from the medical examination carried out in 2015. For the statistical analysis, Chi-square test (prevalence comparison) and Student's T test or Mann Whitney U test (means comparison), were applied.

RESULTS

Exposed was 30.1%, showing significant differences by sex (37% men, 11.9% women, p<0.05). According to REGICOR, 13.2% of those exposed were particularly susceptible to cardiovascular risk.

CONCLUSIONS

A large percentage of workers were exposed to CT related to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular pathology. The percentage of workers qualified as especially sensitive to cardiovascular risk among those exposed suggests that it should be assessed in the monitoring of occupational health when there are working conditions related to cardiovascular pathology.