title: Relationship of cardiovascular disease to stress and vital exhaustion in an urban, midwestern police department.
abstract: This study explored risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among 336 officers of a Midwestern police force. Instruments used included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Maastricht Questionnaire (measuring vital exhaustion), and a general Health Risk Appraisal. Rates of CVD, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia were 3%, 28%, and 43%, respectively. The relative risk of hypercholesterolemia for male officers, compared to female officers, was 1.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 3.56). The officers' average body mass index was 28.6 (SD = 4.9), with 80% being overweight or obese. The average vital exhaustion score was higher for female officers than male officers (p < .05). Bivariate relationships of CVD with perceived stress, vital exhaustion, and age were statistically significant (p < .05). When controlling for age, odds ratios were 1.20 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.39; p < .05) for perceived stress and 1.31 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.53; p < .01) for vital exhaustion.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, College of Nuring and College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. sandra-ramey@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ramey
authors.forename: Yelena
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Perkhounkova
authors.forename: Nancy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Kennith R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Culp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult