• Project number: F 2338
• Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) / University Mainz / TU Dresden
• Status: Completed Project

Description:

Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for around 10% of early retirements and a quarter of all premature deaths among workers up to the age of 65. The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) participated in the baseline investigation of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) in the Mainz area.

From 2007 to 2012, the cohort study examined around 15,000 people aged 25 to 64 with the primary aim of improving risk prediction for selected diseases. The focus was on the characterisation of early cardiovascular and metabolic changes using innovative measurement techniques - especially non-invasive measurements of blood vessel functions. The study included a six-hour programme of clinical examinations as well as an extensive survey.
The follow-up began five years after the baseline was started and was carried out between 2012 and 2017. From the perspective of occupational medicine, the project surveyed occupational biographies, psychosocial workloads and resources for the current occupation.
The primary goal of the project was to investigate associations between occupational factors and selected functional cardiovascular markers or incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in a 5-year period. In particular, the occupational factors workplace bullying, work-life conflict, leadership quality, overtime and night shift work were analysed. Additionally, the project team investigated other issues, including a method comparison and the internal validation of the questionnaires COPSOQ and ERI, as well as the cardiovascular health of teachers.

In the subsequent project “Psychosocial and physical workloads and cardiometabolic health of employees: 10-year follow-up of the Gutenberg Health Study” F2447, associations between current occupational workloads and cardiovascular diseases will be further investigated.