THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OCCUPATION, LIFE -STYLE AND MEASURED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS

Within the framework of the second survey of MONICA-Switzerland (canto ns of Vaud and Fribourg; canton of Tessin), the data of 683 working me n were analysed to examine the relation between occupation and cardiov ascular risk factors. For this purpose, lifestyle factors (smoking, nu tritional habits, physical activity, alcohol intake) as well as blood pressure and serum lipoprotein concentrations were compared among 17 d ifferent occupational groups. Furthermore, every occupational group wa s ranked, based on the medians of the mentioned dependent variables. A strong relationship between socioeconomic status (recorded as number of years of schooling completed) and an index for healthy lifestyle wa s found. However, in some occupational groups a major discrepancy betw een socioeconomic status respectively lifestyle and measured cardiovas cular risk factors (blood pressure, lipoprotein concentrations) was ob served. It is therefore hypothesized that unknown occupational factors adversely affect blood pressure and serum lipoproteins for example in physicians, managers and executives whereas the contrary - beneficial effect of unknown occupational factors - is true for example for driv ers and bricklayers.