EMPLOYMENT AND CORONARY RISK IN WOMEN AT MIDLIFE - A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS

This study investigated the relation between employment and cholestero l in 541 women aged 42-50 years who resided in Allegheny County, Penns ylvania, in 1985-1988, Employment, health-related variables, and chole sterol were assessed at baseline and 3 years later, At baseline, emplo yed and nonemployed women did not differ in cholesterol or health beha viors, However, women employed at baseline had a significant decrease in total high density lipoprotein(2) cholesterol (1,9 mg/dl) and high density lipoprotein, cholesterol subfraction (3.2 mg/dl) at follow-up, Those who were employed at both assessments had the lowest high densi ty lipoprotein cholesterol at follow-up, These effects could not be ac counted for by sociodemographics or employment quality variables, Post hoc analyses were conducted to examine health behaviors as a potentia l mechanism to account for the association between employment status a nd cholesterol. Over the study period, those who were employed at base line were less likely to increase exercise and more likely to gain wei ght than those who were not employed at baseline, With menopause-relat ed changes in metabolism, this can result in detrimental effects for c holesterol levels and coronary health, The results highlight the impor tance of longitudinal assessment in the study of employment and health .