title: Occupational status and job stress in relation to cardiovascular stress reactivity in Japanese workers.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effects of occupational status and job stress factors on cardiovascular stress reactivity in Japanese workers. In this baseline assessment between 2001 and 2009 in Osaka, Japan, we examined 928 healthy Japanese employees (330 men, 598 women) from two occupational statuses: managers/professionals and general workers. A brief job stress questionnaire was used to evaluate job stress levels. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate, heart rate variability (high-frequency [HF], low-frequency [LF], LF/HF], and peripheral blood flow were measured at rest and during two stressful tasks. Changes in stress reactivity were calculated as the difference between the measured variables during the tasks and the rest period. Men showed inverse associations between quantitative job overload and DBP, heart rate, and LF/HF, between physical demands and blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and between a poor physical environment and HF. Men also had positive associations between qualitative job overload and heart rate, and between physical demands and peripheral blood flow (all p < 0.05). Women showed inverse associations between qualitative job overload and SBP, and showed positive associations between qualitative job overload and peripheral blood flow, and between a poor physical environment and SBP (all p < 0.05). When stratified by occupational status, significant associations between job stress and changes in stress reactivity were observed in male managers/professionals and female general workers (p < 0.05). Job stress levels are associated with changes in cardiovascular stress reactivity in men and women. Occupational status may modify these associations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Baika Women's University, 2-19-5 Shukunosho, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-8578, Japan; Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523 JAPAN.
authors.forename: Mako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagayoshi
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, 1-3-2 Nakamich, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0025, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajiura
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, 1-3-2 Nakamich, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0025, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, 1-3-2 Nakamich, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0025, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyama
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, 1-3-2 Nakamich, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0025, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
keywords: Cardiovascular stress reactivity; Heart rate variability; Job stress; Occupational status; Peripheral blood flow