"Job Strain and Self-Reported Health among Working Women and Men: An Analysis of the 1994/5 Canadian National Population Health Survey"

Date: April 19, 2000
Fran E. Scott MD CCFP Msc FRCPC
Res. Assoc. McMaster Inst of Environment and Health
Assoc. Professor Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Assoc. Member, School of Geography and Geology
Member, Women's Health Office Advisory Committee

This talk explored the associations, for working women and men, of high strain jobs with self-rated health in the 1994/95 Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS). This cross sectional surveys used a complex stratified multi-staged design to identify 20,000 households, in which one adult was asked detailed questions on a multitude of demographic, health, health care utilization, behaviors and other factors.

Data from the NPHS were obtained on 4043 women and 4230 men who answered an abbreviated version of the job content questionnaire which assessed work factors of psychological demands, decision latitude, physical demands, job insecurity and work social support. Using this information the respondents were classified into either high strain or other jobs. Self-rated health, where the respondents answered the question "In general, how is your health?" with one of five categories: (excellent, very good, good, fair or poor) was the outcome chosen for this analysis. Using polytomous logistic regressions analyses and controlling for potential personal (such as education) and home (such as income, household type) factors; two risk parameters were estimated: for the odds of reporting poor/fair and good health both vs very good/excellent health.

The results showed that high strain work was reported by 11% of women and 9% of men. After adjusting for potential confounders, high job strain was consistently associated with worse self-rated health for both genders. For women, high chronic stress or single parenthood, which were the closest measures of home stress available, were also associated with poorer health.

This work confirms results from other researchers that work stress, independent of the type of work, affects the health of men and women. Women who have been considered "doubly exposed" with stress from both work and home are doubly affected with poorer health.

This research points to the continued need for both workplace employers and public policy decision makers to investigate strategies to reduce work stress as well as support healthy home-work balance.

This talk was presented in a condensed form at the 11th International Conference on Women's Health in San Francisco, January 2000 and a paper has been submitted for publication through the proceedings of the conference.