Women In These Professions Are More Likely To Suffer From Heart Disease

Women in these professions are more likely to suffer from heart disease

Among working women, social workers, nurses and retail cashiers are the most affected by heart disease. Less often than others, sales managers and real estate brokers face this problem.

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Among working women, social workers, nurses and retail cashiers are the most affected by heart disease, according to a study that will be presented at an American Heart Association scientific conference November 16-18 in Philadelphia.

The study enrolled more than 65,000 postmenopausal women, with an average age of 63 years. The authors looked at the 20 most common occupations and categorized the participants in terms of cardiovascular health, including factors such as smoking, weight, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting blood sugar. Overall, nearly 13% of all participants had poor cardiovascular health, and several occupations were associated with increased cardiovascular risk in women.

Compared to women in other professions:

Social workers were 36% more likely to have heart problems.

• Retail cashiers - by 33%.
• Women in health care are 16%, especially nurses, mental health workers, and home-based caregivers. The nurses had a 14% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The lowest risk was for women working as real estate brokers and sales agents. Their risk of CVD was 24% lower. For secretaries - 11% lower compared to women in other professions. All statistics have been adjusted for age, marital status, education and race.

“Representatives of some professions were at high risk of cardiovascular disease, although they themselves worked in the health sector or looked after patients at home. And this is surprising, because these women are probably better informed about the risk factors for cardiovascular disease,”writes study author Bede Nriagu of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

According to the authors, this study suggests that occupation is an important factor in women's heart health, so doctors should probably inquire about the profession to identify people at high risk for cardiovascular disease.