Discrimination at work can raise blood pressure

Important points:

• Adults exposed to high levels of workplace discrimination were more likely to develop hypertension than those exposed to low levels.
• Workplace stress management interventions may reduce the risk of illness.

U.S. adults who report being exposed to high levels of discrimination at work are 54% more likely to develop hypertension compared to those who report being exposed to low levels of discrimination Researchers report high.

“We have a lot of research evidence. Perceived discrimination is related to mental and physical health outcomeshowever, the role of the workplace is under-recognised. ” Jian Li, MD, PhD, A professor of work and health at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health told Heario. I have.”

Li et al. analyzed data from 1,246 adults (48.07% male, 93.5% Caucasian) who participated in the US Midlife Prospective Study (MIDUS). The researchers collected baseline data between He 2004 and He 2006 and followed the cohort for an average of eight years.grown ups self-reported hypertension Excluded at baseline. Researchers assessed workplace discrimination using his validated six-item instrument. Questions included:

• “How often do you feel you have been unfairly given a job that no one wants?”
• “How often are you monitored more closely than other workers?”
• “How often does your boss or supervisor make ethnic, racial, or sexual slurs or jokes?”
• “How often do your colleagues make ethnic, racial, or sexual slurs or jokes?”
• “How often do you feel ignored or not taken seriously by your boss?”
• “How often have you been promoted before you by a less experienced and less qualified colleague?

Each item was measured on a 5-point Likert response scale (1 = never, 5 = more than once a week). Discriminant scores were constructed by calculating the sum of the six item values. Participants were stratified into low-, medium-, and high-level workplace discrimination tertiles based on discrimination scores.

The survey results are Journal of the American Heart Association.

During the 9,923.17 person-years of follow-up, 319 workers reported developing hypertension. The incidence of hypertension was 25.9, 30.84, and 39.33 per 1,000 person-years among participants with low, moderate, and high levels of workplace discrimination, respectively.

In a regression analysis, the researchers found that workers who experienced moderate exposure to workplace discrimination developed hypertension during follow-up compared with workers who reported less exposure to workplace discrimination. were 22% more likely to (adjusted HR = 1.22; 95% CI, 0.9-1.65). Those who reported being exposed to high levels of workplace discrimination were 54% more likely to develop hypertension during follow-up (aHR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.11–2.13). This association was slightly stronger in a sensitivity analysis that excluded more baseline hypertensive cases based on additional information on blood pressure and antihypertensive drug use (n = 975).

Trend analysis showed an association between exposure and response.

Some studies suggest that workplace interventions that improve conditions, such as reduced job demand and increased job control, may lower systolic blood pressure levels, the researchers noted. bottom.

Jean Lee

“During clinical practice, physicians and nurses should pay more attention to workplace psychosocial factors, such as workplace discrimination, as potential risk factors for hypertension in the working-age population,” Li said in Healio. “Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of health hazards, so it is important to investigate the causal relationship between workplace discrimination and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, interventions to eliminate workplace discrimination in occupational settings are important.” We have to come up with a plan.”

reference:

For more information:

Jian Li, MD, PhD, can be reached by [email protected].

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