Skip to main content

Changes in Work Environment Can Cut Cardiometabolic Risk

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 15, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2023 -- Increasing workplace flexibility is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Lisa F. Berkman, Ph.D., from the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues examined whether workplace interventions to increase workplace flexibility and supervisor support and decrease work–family conflict can reduce cardiometabolic risk. The analysis included employees from information technology (555 employees) and long-term care (973 employees) industries in the United States who were randomly assigned to the Work, Family, and Health Network intervention or usual practice (2009 to 2013).

The researchers observed no significant main effect on the cardiometabolic risk score (CRS) associated with the intervention in either industry. However, among participants in both industries with a higher baseline risk score, the intervention had significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk at the 12-month follow-up. Intervention effects were moderated by age, with older employees having significantly larger reductions in CRS at 12 months than younger employees.

"The intervention benefited employee health by reducing CRS equivalent to five to 10 years of age-related changes for those with a higher baseline CRS and for older employees," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2023

Read this next

Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Syndrome Highly Prevalent in the U.S.

FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- Cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic (CKM) syndrome is highly prevalent in the United States, with more than 90 percent of adults meeting the criteria for...

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Cuts Risk for Poor Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes

WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- There is consistent evidence that high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is strongly associated with a lower risk for a variety of cardiovascular disease...

Long-Term Risk for MACE Increased for Children With Hypertension

TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 -- The long-term risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) is increased for children diagnosed with hypertension, according to a study published online May...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.