Blood Pressure /Health and fitness

TCC GROUP 'ONSITE SAFE'Blood pressure rises along with work hours

People working more than 51 hours at the office each week were 29 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure than those who worked 39 hours or less, a new US study has found. The study also found lower grade jobs were also linked to raised blood pressure.

To investigate whether more time on the job could drive up hypertension risk, researchers looked at a representative sample of 24,305 California adults who worked 11 hours or more each week. They found the likelihood of having high blood pressure rose steadily with the number of hours worked, and persisted even after adjusting for factors such as socioeconomic status and body weight.

Compared to those working 39 hours or less, the increased risk of high blood pressure was: 14 per cent greater at 40 hours per week, 17 per cent greater for 41 to 50 hours weekly it, and 29 per cent greater for 51 hours or more. The researchers also found that hypertension was more common among clerical and unskilled workers than among professionals. Dr Haiou Yang of the University of California said the study 'suggests that occupations requiring more challenging and mentally active work may have a protective effect against hypertension.' Almost all of the developed world has legislation limiting work hours, except for the United States, the researchers noted. Although in Australia, federal laws providing ‘flexibility’ may lead to longer and poorly paid hours.
In June, Canadian researchers confirmed that chronic job stress can raise blood pressure, and that high job demands, tight deadlines and low support in the workplace appeared to be triggers, particularly in men (SafetyNet 94).
Reuters Health. Haiou Yang, Peter L Schnall and others. Work hours and self-reported hypertension among working people in California, Hypertension, published online 28 August 2006, doi:10.1161/01.HYP.0000238327.41911.52 [abstract]. Center for Social Epidemiology.
Source: Risks 272
also see;OHS Reps @ Work website & The SafetyNet JOURNAL