Job stress, a source of hypertension among workers in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Hypertension remains one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Contrasting with the high-income countries where the rates of hypertension decline, it increases in Sub-Saharan African countries. The age group most affected by hypertension is the working population. Several studies carried out in Europe, North America, and Asia, underline the influence of job stress on the occurrence of hypertension. The objective of this review was to explore current knowledge about hypertension and job stress in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's framework to synthesize findings. We searched in PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest databases. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed manuscripts published on March 1, 2023, conducted among workers in Sub-Saharan Africa, reported hypertension and job stress, and using quantitative methodologies. Data were assessed independently by two researchers.

Results: In total, 295 articles were identified from databases. Of these, only 12 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (9 cross-sectional studies and 3 case-control studies). These studies focused on sectors reported as stressful (health, banking, education, and industries). The prevalence of hypertension varied from 14.3% to 45.9%, with a high proportion of hypertensive participants (35.4%-70.6%) who were unaware that they had hypertension. Job stress was significantly associated with hypertension (OR = 2.4 [1.5-4.4]) and stress management was inversely associated with hypertension (r = -0.14, p < 0.05). However, no study reported an existing workplace health promotion program implemented, especially regarding cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Conclusion: Data available in the literature show that stressful working conditions may be associated with hypertension. We are faced with an increasing prevalence of hypertension among workers in Sub-Saharan Africa, where a large proportion of them are unaware that they have hypertension. Thus, there is a need to implement workplace prevention and health promotion strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Hypertension; Job stress; Scoping review; Sub-Saharan Africa; Workers.