EFFECTS OF LIFE-STYLE, COPING AND WORK-RELATED STRESS ON BLOOD-PRESSURE IN OFFICE WORKERS

1. The relative importance of perceived stress compared with coping be haviours and 'lifestyle' characteristics known to influence blood pres sure were studied in 337 male and 317 female office workers. 2. Males had significantly higher mean systolic (P<0.01; t-test, 652 d.f.) and diastolic (P<0.01; t-test, 652 d.f.) blood pressure and unhealthier li festyles than females, particularly in the areas of alcohol intake (P< 0.01; t-test, 653 d.f.) and diet (P = 0.01; t-test, 663 df.). 3. In ma les drinking alcohol was correlated to job and home/work stress (P<0.0 5), and eating more atherogenic foods was correlated to home/work stre ss (P<0.05). 4. Coping by food and drug consumption was correlated wit h job and home/work stress (P<0.05) in males; avoidance/denial denial coping was correlated with job stress in both males and females (P<0.0 01) and to home/work stress (P<0.001) in males only. Blood pressure wa s not correlated with stress in males or females. 5. In age-adjusted r egression analyses body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle (physical inact ivity, alcohol consumption and diet) made significant contributions to systolic (P = 0.02) and diastolic (P<0.01) blood pressure and, in sep arate analyses, coping contributed significantly to diastolic blood pr essure (P<0.01) in males. Stress made no additional contribution to bl ood pressure in either analysis. 6. After including age, BMI, lifestyl e and coping in males 'lifestyle' still contributed to systolic and di astolic blood pressure and coping made a significant additional contri bution to diastolic blood pressure. Neither lifestyle or coping contri buted significantly to blood pressure in females. 7. Thus obesity, alc ohol, physical activity and diet had dominant effects on blood pressur e; while any effects of job stress were indirect and related to malada ptive coping, particularly in males.