The research team explained that simply changing workplace culture can improve employee health. Provided by Getty Image Bank
Research has shown that support and encouragement within the workplace can reduce the risk of heart disease among team members.
A research team led by Thomas Cabot, a professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, observed the cardiovascular health of 1,528 office workers in the United States for 12 months and found that team members whose work environments changed to be more family-friendly had a reduced probability of developing heart disease. The research results were published in the academic journal ‘American Public Health Association’ on the 8th (local time).
Cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris and myocardial infarction occur when the heart muscle does not receive an adequate amount of blood flow. It is known that to reduce the risk of developing the disease, one must not only lower serum cholesterol through diet and exercise, but also control daily stress and anger.
The research team wanted to determine whether the stress that arises when workers are unable to properly spend time with their families or rest due to work affects the probability of developing cardiovascular disease. It is a way to change the working environment to achieve work-life balance and reduce stress.
First, cardiovascular-related health conditions were diagnosed among 1,528 workers working in IT companies and long-term care services. The IT company workers, in which 555 people participated, consisted of technical workers in the middle to high wage range. In long-term care, 973 low-income female caregivers participated in the experiment.
They recorded their blood pressure, body mass index, smoking status, and cholesterol levels to calculate the cardiometabolic risk index (CRS). The higher the CRS index, the higher the risk of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years.
The research team gave special instructions to the experiment participant’s company. The employees’ supervisors were trained and implemented to praise employees’ work performance while supporting them so they could spend more time with their families. Employees received hands-on training to help them feel in control of their own work and schedule. Except for the experimental subjects, other workers performed their work in the same way as before.
When the CRS of the test subjects was reexamined 12 months later, it was confirmed that the risk index was reduced in the cardiovascular disease risk group that had a high CRS index before the experiment. In the IT occupation group, the cardiovascular disease risk index, which increases with age, decreased by 5.5 years. In the long-term care service occupation group, there was a decrease of 10.3 years.
The cardiovascular risk index, which was expected to increase with aging, has been postponed for another 5 to 10 years. This phenomenon was especially noticeable among workers over 45 years of age.
Professor Cabot, who led the study, said the significance of the study was that it “shows how working conditions are a social determinant that affects health.” This is the first study to experimentally prove the impact of working environment on heart disease.
“This experiment was designed to change workplace culture, reduce conflict between workers’ work and personal lives, and ultimately improve their health,” said Orpheus Buxton, a professor of biological and behavioral health at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study. “Through the experiment, we confirmed that a changed culture can improve the health of employees and that this culture should be widely spread,” he explained.
2023-11-09 08:46:28
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