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Workplace
Original research
Effectiveness of a workplace intervention reducing psychosocial stressors at work on blood pressure and hypertension
  1. Xavier Trudel1,2,
  2. Mahée Gilbert-Ouimet2,3,
  3. Michel Vézina4,
  4. Denis Talbot1,2,
  5. Benoît Mâsse5,
  6. Alain Milot2,6,
  7. Chantal Brisson1,2
  1. 1 Social and Preventive Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Québec, Canada
  2. 2 CHU of Quebec-Laval University, Quebec City, Québec, Canada
  3. 3 University of Quebec in Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
  4. 4 Quebec National Institute of Public Health, Quebec City, Québec, Canada
  5. 5 Social and Preventive Medicine, Montreal University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
  6. 6 Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Québec, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Xavier Trudel, Social and Preventive Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Québec, Canada; Xavier.Trudel{at}crchudequebec.ulaval.ca

Abstract

Objectives To assess the effectiveness of a workplace intervention reducing psychosocial stressors at work in lowering blood pressure and hypertension prevalence.

Methods The study design was a quasi-experimental pre–post study with an intervention group and a control group. Post-intervention measurements were collected 6 and 36 months after the midpoint of the intervention. Participants were all white-collar workers employed in three public organisations. At baseline, the intervention and the control groups were composed of 1088 and 1068 workers, respectively. The intervention was designed to reduce psychosocial stressors at work by implementing organisational changes. Adjusted changes in ambulatory blood pressure and hypertension prevalence were examined.

Results Blood pressure and hypertension significantly decreased in the intervention group while no change was observed in the control group. The differential decrease in systolic blood pressure between the intervention and the control group was 2.0 mm Hg (95% CI: −3.0 to –1.0). The prevalence of hypertension decreased in the intervention group, when compared with the control group (prevalence ratio: 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74 to 0.98)).

Conclusions Findings suggest that psychosocial stressors at work are relevant targets for the primary prevention of hypertension. At the population level, systolic blood pressure reductions such as those observed in the present study could prevent a significant number of premature deaths and disabling strokes.

  • Epidemiology
  • cardiology

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-107293

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • XT and MG-O contributed equally.

    • Contributors CB and MV were responsible for study concept and design, as well as supervising the data collection. AM supervised the cardiovascular aspect of the study. BM and DT were involved in the statistical analyses. XT, MG-O, CB and MV supervised aspects related to occupational epidemiology. All the authors participated in reviewing and drafting of the manuscript. XT and MG-O had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

    • Funding This research was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (# 91062) and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (#R01 OH007647-02).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.