Occupations Associated With Poor Cardiovascular Health in Women: The Women's Health Initiative Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Research on the effect of occupation on cardiovascular health (CVH) among older women is limited.

Methods: Each of the seven American Heart Association's CVH metrics was scored as ideal (1) or non-ideal (0) and summed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of poor overall CVH (CVH score of 0 to 2) comparing women employed in each of the top 20 occupational categories to those not employed in that category, adjusting for age, marital status, and race/ethnicity.

Results: (1) Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks; (2) first-line supervisors of sales workers; (3) first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers; and (4) nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides were more likely to have poor overall CVH compared to women who did not work in these occupations.

Conclusions: Several commonly held occupations among women were associated with poor CVH.