A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 275 and 760 randomly selected senior officers (SOs) and managerial assistants (MAs) aged between 30 and 60 years. Sum of scores of efforts, rewards, and overcommitment and effort–reward ratio assessed job stress. Blood pressure was measured and classified using JNC-7 guidelines. The response rates of SOs and MAs were 98.9% and 97.2%, respectively. The prevalence of job stress based on high effort–rewards imbalance among SOs and MAs was 74.6% and 80.5%, respectively. The prevalence of overcommitment among SOs and MAs was 35.3% and 29%, respectively. Statistically significant differences (P = .05) were observed between the prevalence of effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment among SOs and MAs. Multivariate analysis indicated effort–reward imbalance (odds ratio [OR] = 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-7.4), high efforts (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.2-5.3), and overcommitment (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1-5.6) were significantly associated with hypertension among SOs. Similarly, effort–reward imbalance and high efforts increased the risk of hypertension by 2-fold (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1-4.2) and 3-fold (OR = 3.02; 95% CI = 1.9-4.8), respectively, among the MAs. A significant number of administrators are afflicted by job stress, and job stress was significantly associated with hypertension.
BelkicKLLandsbergisPASchnallPLBakerD. Is job strain a major source of cardiovascular disease risk?Scand J Work Environ Health. 2004;30:85-128.
2.
SiegristJMarmotM. Health inequalities and the psychosocial environment—two scientific challenges. Soc Sci Med. 2004;58:1463-1473.
3.
KarasekRBakerDMarxerFAhlbomATheorellT. Job decision latitude, job demands, and cardiovascular disease: a prospective study of Swedish men. Am J Public Health. 1981;71:694-705.
4.
HwangGSChoiJWChoiSH. Effects of a tailored health promotion program to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors among middle-aged and advanced-age bus drivers. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2012;24:117-127.
5.
KivimäkiMLeino-ArjasPLuukkonenRRiihimäiHVahteraJKirjonenJ. Work stress and risk of cardiovascular mortality: prospective cohort study of industrial employees. BMJ. 2002;325:857.
6.
ChandolaTBrittonABrunnerE. Work stress and coronary heart disease: what are the mechanisms?Eur Heart J. 2008;29:640-648.
7.
KuperHSingh-ManouxASiegristJMarmotM. When reciprocity fails: effort–reward imbalance in relation to coronary heart disease and health functioning within the Whitehall II study. Occup Environ Med. 2002;59:777-784.
8.
HudaBRusliBNaingLWinnTTengkuMRampalK. Job strain and its associated factors among lecturers in the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2004;16:32-40.
9.
LandsbergisPASchnallPLWarrenKPickeringTGSchwartzJE. Association between ambulatory blood pressure and alternative formulations of job strain. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1994;20:349-363.
10.
VrijkotteTGMvan DoornenLJPde GeusEJC. Effects of work stress on ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Hypertension. 2000;35:880-886.
11.
WilkinsonRGMarmotMG. Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2003.
12.
KarasekRBrissonCKawakamiNHoutmanIBongersPAmickB. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ): an instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. J Occup Health Psychol. 1998;3:322-325.
13.
SiegristJ. Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. J Occup Health Psychol. 1996;1:27-41.
14.
TsutsumiAKayabaKNagamiM. The effort-reward imbalance model: experience in Japanese working population. J Occup Health. 2002;44:398-407.
15.
CalnanMWadsworthEMayMSmithAWainwrightD. Job strain, effort-reward imbalance, and stress at work: competing or complementary models?Scand J Public Health. 2004;32:84-93.
16.
OstryASHershlerRChenLHertzmanC. A longitudinal study comparing the effort-reward imbalance and demand-control models using objective measures of physician utilization. Scand J Public Health. 2004;32:456-463.
17.
WijewardeneKMohideenMRMendisS. Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity: baseline findings of a population based survey in four provinces in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Medical Journal. 2005;50(2):62-70.
18.
PickeringTGHallJEAppelLJ. Recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans and experimental animals: part 1: blood pressure measurement in humans: a statement for professionals from the Subcommittee of Professional and Public Education of the American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure Research. Hypertension. 2005;45:142-161.
19.
ChobanianAVBakrisGLBlackHR. Seventh report of the joint national committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. Hypertension. 2003;42:1206-1252.
20.
SiegristJStarkeDChandolaT. The measurement of effort–reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med. 2004;58:1483-1499.
World Health Organization. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004;363:157-163.
23.
World Health Organization. Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2011:8-11.
24.
BonitaRDe CourtenMDwyerTJamrozikKWinkelmannR. Surveillance of Risk Factors for Noncommunicable Diseases: The WHO STEPwise Approach: Summary. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2001. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2001/WHO_NMH_CCS_01.01.pdf. Accessed July 23, 2015.
25.
CraigCLMarshallALSjostromM. International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35:1381-1395.
26.
MsaouelPKeramarisNCApostolopoulosAP. The effort-reward imbalance questionnaire in Greek: translation, validation and psychometric properties in health professionals. J Occup Health. 2012;54:119-130.
27.
TsutsumiANagamiMMorimotoKMatobaT. Responsiveness of measures in the effort–reward imbalance questionnaire to organizational changes: a validation study. J Psychosom Res. 2002;52:249-256.
28.
PeterRAlfredssonLHammarNSiegristJTheorellTWesterholmP. High effort, low reward, and cardiovascular risk factors in employed Swedish men and women: baseline results from the WOLF Study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998;52:540-547.
29.
KawakamiNHarataniTArakiS. Job strain and arterial blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and smoking as risk factors for coronary heart disease in Japan. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1998;71:429-432.
30.
HoweGRChiarelliAMLinsayJP. Components and modifiers of the healthy worker effect: evidence from three occupational cohorts and Implications for industrial compensation. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128:1364-1375.
