Is hypertension associated with work organization and psychosocial occupational exposures? – a cross-sectional study based on the 2010 national health interview survey

Background and Objectives: Several studies have suggested associations between hypertension and certain work organization and psychosocial occupational exposures, but most of these have been small and/or restricted to specific industry or occupational groups. The goal of this study was to explore these associations among a nationally representative sample of US workers. Methods: Data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, which included an occupational health supplement, were used to examine relationships between the prevalence of self-reported hypertension and long work hours, job insecurity, hostile work environment, and work- family imbalance. The prevalence of hypertension by occupation and industry of employment was also examined. Multivariate analyses were performed using survey logistic regression models. Results: Data were available for 17,494 adults who worked in past 12 months. Job insecurity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.31) and hostile work environment (aOR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.05-1.48) were found to be significantly associated with hypertension. In addition, after controlling for demographic factors, job insecurity, and hostile work environment, employment in the following occupations/industries (O/I) appeared to increase the odds of hypertension compared to employment in all other O/I combined: Healthcare support occupations (aOR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.16-2.09), Public administration industries (aOR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.10-1.64), and Healthcare and social assistance industries (aOR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04-1.40). Conclusion: We found evidence for associations between job insecurity and hostile work environments and self-reported hypertension. We also found variation in the prevalence of hypertension among workers in different industry and occupation categories.