Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of work, nonwork, and individual factors to self-reported heart disease, and to evaluate gender-related differences over a period of 16 years among Canadian workers aged 40 years and more.
Methods: Using the National Population Health Survey (NPHS, 1994 to 2010), we estimated multilevel logistic regression models (N = 2996).
Results: Couple-related strains, being a man, age, hypertension, and body mass index, are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In analysis stratified by gender, physical demands at work and having high child-related strains were associated with heart disease specifically among women. Psychotropic drug use increased the risk of heart disease only in men.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that work stressors measured by Statistics Canada NPHS are largely not associated with the risk of heart disease, except in women exposed to physical demands at work.