Ja K. Gu

Prevalence of obesity by occupation among US workers: the National Health Interview Survey 2004-2011.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of obesity and the change of prevalence of obesity between 2004−2007 and 2008−20011 by occupation among US workers in the National Health Interview Survey. Methods: Self-reported weight and height were collected and used to assess obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2). Gender-, race/ethnicity-, and occupation-specific prevalence of obesity were calculated. Results: Prevalence of obesity steadily increased from 2004 through 2008 across gender and race/ethnicity but leveled off from 2008 through 2011. Non-Hispanic black female workers in health care support (49.2%) and transportation/material moving (46.6%) had the highest prevalence of obesity. Prevalence of obesity in relatively low-obesity (white-collar) occupations significantly increased between 2004−2007 and 2008−2011, whereas it did not change significantly in high-obesity (blue-collar) occupations. Conclusions: Workers in all occupational categories are appropriate targets for health promotion and intervention programs to reduce obesity.

Sleep duration and biomarkers of metabolic function among police officers.

Objective:To investigate associations between sleep duration and biomarkers of metabolic function among police officers. Methods:Metabolic markers were measured using standardized methods and sleep duration was assessed from questionnaire data. Mean levels of leptin and adiponectin were assessed across five levels of sleep duration using ANCOVA and linear regression models. Results:Police officers (n = 443) who reported an average of less than 5 hours and at least 8 hours of sleep had higher levels of leptin compared to those who reported an average of 5 to 7 hours of sleep. These associations were stronger and statistically significant among women, officers with BMI of 24.9 kg/m2 or less and smaller abdominal height (< 20 cm), and officers who primarily worked on the day shift. Conclusion:Short and long sleep duration were associated with higher leptin levels and may have implications for obesity-related conditions.

Long Work Hours and Adiposity Among Police Officers in a US Northeast City

Objective: To investigate the associations between long work hours and adiposity measures in police officers. Methods: Participants included 408 officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study who were examined between 2004 and 2009. Total work hours were abstracted from payroll records and questionnaires. Analysis of variance and covariance models were used. Results: Among male officers who worked the midnight shift, mean values of waist circumference and body mass index increased with longer work hours after adjustment for age, physical activity, energy intake, sleep duration, smoking status, police rank, activities after work (eg, child/family care, sports), and household income. Adiposity measures were not associated with work hours among women on any shift. Conclusion: Working longer hours was significantly associated with larger waist circumferences and higher body mass index among male police officers working the midnight shift.

Shift Work and Occupational Stress in Police Officers

Background Shift work has been associated with occupational stress in health providers and in those working in some industrial companies. The association is not well established in the law enforcement workforce. Our objective was to examine the association between shift work and police work-related stress. Methods The number of stressful events that occurred in the previous month and year was obtained using the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers aged 27–66 years. Work hours were derived from daily payroll records. A dominant shift (day, afternoon, or night) was defined for each participant as the shift with the largest percentage of total time a participant worked (starting time from 4:00 AM to 11:59 AM, from 12 PM to 7:59 PM, and from 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM for day, afternoon, and night shift, respectively) in the previous month or year. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to examine the number of total and subscale (administrative/professional pressure, physical/psychological danger, or organizational support) stressful events across the shift. Results During the previous month and year, officers working the afternoon and night shifts reported more stressful events than day shift officers for total stress, administrative/professional pressure, and physical/psychological danger (p < 0.05). These differences were independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and police rank. The frequency of these stressful events did not differ significantly between officers working the afternoon and night shifts. Conclusion Non–day shift workers may be exposed to more stressful events in this cohort. Interventions to reduce or manage police stress that are tailored by shift may be considered.

Association of Shift Work With Physical Activity Among Police Officers The Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study

Objective: To examine relations of shift work with occupational, sports, and household physical activity (PA) among police officers. Methods: Self-reported PA was assessed among 350 male and female officers (aged 27 to 66). Day, afternoon, or midnight shift was identified from daily payroll records. Results: Shift work was associated with prevalence of hard-intensity (occupational and sport) PA among men, and very hard-intensity sport PA among women, with afternoon workers reporting the highest prevalence. Shift work was independently associated with total hours of hard-intensity PA among men and very hard-intensity PA among women, with afternoon workers reporting the most hours. Conclusion: Results indicated that hard and very hard-intensity PA varied significantly across shifts with afternoon workers being the most active.

Leptin, adiponectin, and heart rate variability among police officers

Police officers have a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is known to increase CVD risk. Leptin and adiponectin may be related to CVD health. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the relationship between these variables and HRV.

Associations between Psychological Distress and Body Mass Index among Law Enforcement Officers: The National Health Interview Survey 2004-2010

Objectives To investigate the association between psychological distress and obesity among law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the United States. Methods Self-reported data on psychological distress based on six key questions were obtained from LEOs who participated in the National Health Interview Survey (2004-2010). We used Prochaskas cut-point of a Kessler 6 score ≥ 5 for moderate/high mental distress in our analysis. Mean levels of body mass index (BMI) were compared across three levels of psychological distress. Results The average age of LEOs (n = 929) was 39.3 years; 25% were female. Overall, 8.1% of LEOs had moderate or high psychological distress; 37.5% were obese (BMI ≥ 30). Mean BMI increased with increasing psychological distress (no distress, BMI = 27.2 kg/m2; mild distress, 27.6 kg/m2; and moderate/high distress, 33.1 kg/m2; p = 0.016) after adjustment for age, race, income, and education level among female officers only. Physical activity modified the association between psychological distress and BMI but only among male LEOs (interaction p = 0.002). Among male LEOs reporting low physical activity, psychological distress was positively associated with BMI (30.3 kg/m2 for no distress, 30.7 for mild distress, 31.8 for moderate/high distress; p = 0.179) after adjustment, but not significantly. This association was not significant among males reporting high physical activity. Conclusion Mean BMI significantly increased as psychological distress increased among female LEOs. A longitudinal study design may reveal the directionality of this association as well as the potential role that physical activity might play in this association.

Association Between Shiftwork and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Police Officers

Objective: To investigate associations between shiftwork and glomerular filtration rate among white/Hispanic (n = 273) and African American (n = 81) police officers. Methods: Analysis of variance/analysis of variance was utilized to compare mean values of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) across shiftwork categories. Results: Shiftwork was significantly associated with eGFR among white/Hispanic officers only: day (88.6 ± 2.8), afternoon (90.6 ± 2.9), and night shift (83.1 ± 3.1 mL/min/1.73 m2); afternoon versus night, P = 0.007. Percentage of hours worked on the night shift was inversely associated with mean levels of eGFR, trend P = 0.001. Body mass index modified the association between shiftwork and eGFR (interaction P = 0.038). Among officers with body mass index 25 kg/m2 or higher, those who worked the night shift had the lowest mean eGFR (afternoon vs night, P = 0.012; day vs night, P = 0.029). Conclusions: Night-shift work was associated with decreased kidney function among white/Hispanic officers. Longitudinal studies are warranted among all races.

Associations between insulin and heart rate variability in police officers.

Low heart rate variability (HRV) has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to examine the cross‐sectional association between insulin and HRV.

Separate and Joint Associations of Shift Work and Sleep Quality with Lipids

Background Shift work and/or sleep quality may affect health. We investigated whether shift work and sleep quality, separately and jointly, were associated with abnormal levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 360 police officers (27.5% women). Methods Triglycerides, TC, and high-density lipoprotein were analyzed on the Abbott Architect; low-density lipoprotein was calculated. Shift work was assessed using City of Buffalo payroll work history records. Sleep quality (good, ≤ 5; intermediate, 6–8; poor, ≥ 9) was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. A shift work + sleep quality variable was created: day plus good sleep; day plus poor sleep; afternoon/night plus good; and poor sleep quality. Mean values of lipid biomarkers were compared across categories of the exposures using analysis of variance/analysis of covariance. Results Shift work was not significantly associated with lipids. However, as sleep quality worsened, mean levels of triglycerides and TC gradually increased but only among female officers (age- and race-adjusted p = 0.013 and 0.030, respectively). Age significantly modified the association between sleep quality and TC. Among officers ≥ 40 years old, those reporting poor sleep quality had a significantly higher mean level of TC (202.9 ± 3.7 mg/dL) compared with those reporting good sleep quality (190.6 ± 4.0 mg/dL) (gender- and race-adjusted p = 0.010). Female officers who worked the day shift and also reported good sleep quality had the lowest mean level of TC compared with women in the other three categories (p = 0.014). Conclusion Sleep quality and its combined influence with shift work may play a role in the alteration of some lipid measures.