WORKLOAD AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS IN EXECUTIVES AND NON-EXECUTIVES OF THE SAME COMPANY

The lifestyle of executives purportedly differs from that of their emp loyees who are not in an executive position, with respect to workload, amount of travelling, and habits. These aspects of lifestyle and card iovascular (CV) risk factors in blood were compared in 22 executives a nd a matched sample of non-executives in an insurance company in Norwa y. The mean age was 42.8 years in both groups and the mean body mass i ndex was 25.5 and 24.8 kg/m2 in executives and non-executives, respect ively. Executives travelled more and worked more hours than non-execut ives, but smoking habits, levels of physical activity, diet habits and blood pressure were comparable in the two groups. The blood lipoprote in estimates of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholestero l, apolipoproteins and two compound lipoprotein indices of CV risk, as well as liver enzymes, were also of the same magnitude in both groups . The executive lifestyle as such, compared to that of non-executives, does not imply an elevated CV risk in this study, as judged from CV r isk factors in blood. The efforts of the occupational health service t o improve health, including the opportunity for executives to choose t heir workload, may have contributed to this 'negative' finding. This m ay indicate that preventive health programmes in the company could hav e been acting as intended for all groups of employees. However, somewh at high mean levels of total cholesterol (>6.0 mmol/1) and of a compou nd atherogenic index in both groups suggest that continued action by t he occupational health service is required.