Workplace factors can increase heart risk

"If employees feel ambiguous about their work role and there is a lack of clear communication, it may increase heart attack risk, Finnish researchers said. An 18-year study in Finland examined the possible link between job-control factors and heart attacks - acute myocardial infarction - among 7,663 private-sector employees. 'The risk of myocardial infarction was about 1.8 times higher in a disorganized setting than in an organized setting,' lead study author Ari Vaananen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki said in a statement. 'Clear organization of work tasks matters.' The researchers sent questionnaires to 12,173 multinational forest industry employees who had worked for their company for at least 24 months and who were initially free of heart disease. In all, 9,292 employees, primarily blue-collar workers, responded. The study, scheduled to be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that characteristics of a job, such as an employee's lack of control, job awareness, unexpected changes, job strain and stress, could lead to poor cardiac health as does smoking and a lack of exercise" - UPI