Does Cardiorespiratory Fitness Moderate the Association between Occupational Stress, Cardiovascular Risk, and Mental Health in Police Officers?

René Schilling, Flora Colledge, Sebastian Ludyga, Uwe Pühse, Serge Brand and Markus Gerber
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René Schilling: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Flora Colledge: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Sebastian Ludyga: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Uwe Pühse: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Serge Brand: Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Markus Gerber: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Background: Chronic exposure to occupational stress may lead to negative health consequences. Creating less stressful work environments and making employees physically and psychologically more resilient against stress are therefore two major public health concerns. This study examined whether cardiorespiratory fitness moderated the association between occupational stress, cardiovascular risk, and mental health. Methods: Stress was assessed via the Effort-Reward Imbalance and Job Demand-Control models in 201 police officers (36% women, Mage = 38.6 years). Higher levels of blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, and unfavorable body composition were considered as cardiovascular risk factors. Burnout, insomnia and overall psychological distress were used as mental health indicators. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed with a submaximal bicycle test. Results: High cardiorespiratory fitness levels were associated with a reduced cardiometabolic risk, whereas high stress levels were associated with better mental health. Among participants who perceived a high Effort-Reward Imbalance, those with high fitness levels showed lower overall cardiovascular risk scores than their colleagues with low fitness levels. Conclusions: Work health programs for police officers should consider the early screening of burnout, sleep disturbances, and overall mental wellbeing. To increase cardiovascular health, including fitness tests in routine health checks and promoting physical activity to further increase cardiorespiratory fitness appears worthwhile.

Keywords: cardiorespiratory fitness; cardiovascular health; psychosocial stress; police officers; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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