Work Stress and Metabolic Syndrome in Police Officers. A Prospective Study
Objective The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the association between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a rapid response police unit. Method Work related stress was continuously monitored during the 5 year period with both the Demand Control Support (DCS) and the Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) models. Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose were measured at baseline in January 2009, and in January 2014. 234 out of 290 police officers (81% completed the follow up. Results The majority of police officers had high stress levels. At follow up, police officers in the highest quartile of stress had significantly higher mean levels of triglycerides, and lower levels of HDL cholesterol than their colleagues in the lowest quartile. Police officers with high stress had an increased adjusted risk of developing MetS (aOR 2.68; CI95% 1.08 6.70) and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR 7.86; CI95 1.29 48.04) Demand and Effort were significant predictors of MetS. Conclusion Our study supports the hypothesis that work related stress induces MetS, particularly through its effects on blood lipids. Future longitudinal studies with continuous monitoring of stress levels will definitively confirm this hypothesis.
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