Voluntary Unemployment Is Associated With Increased Prevalence of Stroke and its Risk Factors in Middle-Aged Adults

Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the association between the prevalence of stroke, its risk factors, and occupational status, with a differentiation between voluntary and involuntary unemployment. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, which included 3013 individuals aged 40 to 65 years. We compared the prevalence of stroke, comorbidities, self-reported stroke-like symptoms, healthy behaviors, and knowledge about stroke among the voluntarily and involuntarily unemployed versus the employed. Results Voluntary unemployment was associated with increased chances of stroke (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–3.57), hypertension (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06–1.32), diabetes (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01–1.35), and obesity (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05–1.29). Involuntary job loss was associated with increased odds of hypertension (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.16–2.50) and more frequent self-reported stroke-like symptoms. Conclusions We found higher chances of stroke among the voluntarily unemployed middle-aged adults, presumably because of increased prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.