Correlation analysis of occupational stress and metabolic syndrome among employees of a power grid enterprise in China

BACKGROUND: Being in a state of high occupational stress may disrupt the metabolic balance of the body, thus increasing the risk of metabolic diseases. However, the evidence about the relationship between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome was limited. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in employees of a power grid enterprise. METHODS: A total of 1091 employees were recruited from a power grid enterprise in China. Excluding those who failed to complete the questionnaire and those who had incomplete health check-ups, 945 subjects were included in the study. Assessment of occupational stress was used by job demand-control (JDC) and effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaires, respectively. The information on body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were collected. The levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in the fasting venous blood samples were measured. Logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression methods were used to analyze the correlation between JDC and ERI models of occupational stress, metabolic syndrome, and its components, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS was 8.4% and 9.9% in JDC and ERI model high occupational stress employees, respectively. ERI model occupational stress and smoking are significantly associated with the risk of MetS. ERI ratio was significantly associated with lower HDL-C levels. Gender, age, marital status, smoking, high-temperature and high-altitude work were significantly associated with metabolic component levels. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed a high detection rate of occupational stress in both JDC and ERI models among employees of a power grid enterprise. ERI model occupational stress, demanding more attention, was associated with the risk of MetS as well as its components such as HDL-C.