In 2008 NIOSH scientists reviewed current practices in the collection and analytic treatment of occupational data in population-based CVD studies 7, 8. NIOSH found that that most US federally-funded longitudinal population-based CVD studies collect at least descriptive occupational data, but those data are rarely used in epidemiologic analyses to examine associations between social and environmental risk factors at work and CVD. Collaborations with several CVD research groups have since been established, using NIOSH expertise and existing federal funds to improve the scientific evidence-base linking working conditions and CVD/stroke.
The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study (REGARDS) project is a large population-based prospective study focused on factors of racial and geographic differences in stroke, heart disease, and cognitive decline among a national sample of over 30,000 Caucasian and African American men and women aged 45 and older 9. Recently completed analyses generated aggregate and occupation-specific national estimates of heart disease and stroke, as well as biometric and behavioral cardiovascular risk factors among disease-free workers age ≥ 45 years. Several other types of analyses are underway to examine such issues as:
- occupational factors related to cognitive decline
- associations between specific exposures (job strain, shiftwork) and several CVD end-points
- associations between changes in employment status, physical activity, and health outcomes
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis is a community-based prospective cohort study of more than 6,800 men and women (age: 45-84 years), designed to investigate the development of CVD. At the time of enrollment, the participants reported their main job in life (or current job if they were still working). This enables us to investigate the link between various characteristics of jobs and CVD risks. We have identified that long work hours, blue-collar work, and lack of job control were associated with risk factors for CVD such as hypertension, plaque formation, peripheral artery disease, and dysregulation of stress hormone secretion 10.