Investigating the relationship between job stress and obesity in employees of Isfahan Steel Company based on a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and aims: By examining the relationship between job stress and the physical and mental health status of employees in the workplace, valuable information can be provided, which can be used to improve the quality of work in industries. In several studies, the effect of stress on fat and sugar consumption in individuals has been studied, but in general, studies on the relationship between job stress and health risk factors have been done more in non-working occupational groups. In addition, among the studies conducted in Iran and other developing countries, no study has examined the relationship between job stress and obesity among groups working in the industry. Therefore, paying attention to this issue was inevitable. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between job stress and obesity in a large sample of male employees of Isfahan Steel Factory. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between job stress and obesity in Isfahan Steel employees. Methods: In a cross-sectional study in 2016, 2803 male employees of Isfahan Steel were selected by multi-stage random cluster sampling. Obesity was assessed using body mass index and job stress using a 23-item job stress questionnaire validated in Iran and demographic information of individuals with a self-administered questionnaire. In this study, the numerical variables of the reports were reported as the mean±SD(standard deviation) and for the qualitative variables as the percentage. The normality of the data was checked by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Q-Q plot. Comparison of quantitative variables with normal distribution was performed using the parametric test, Student's t-test, quantitative variables with abnormal distribution with the non-parametric test, Mann-Whitney, and comparison of qualitative variables distribution in normal and overweight/obese groups were performed using Chi-square test. In this study, the relationship between the independent variable of job stress (in three categories: low, medium, and high) and the dependent variable of obesity at both normal and overweight/obese levels in four models in the presence of confounding variables of demographic, lifestyle and job using the model Logistic regression was evaluated. Logistic regression results were reported in the form of odds ratio(OR) and 95 confidence interval (OR, 95 CI). SPSS 22 software was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of participants was 36.89 with a standard deviation of 7.35 years. In this study, job stress is classified into three categories based on the ER-ratio index score: the first third includes low job stress scores, the second third has average scores and the third trilogy is high scores. In addition, the subjects were classified according to body mass index with BMI≤25 into the normal group (n=1209) and individuals with BMI≥25 into the overweight/ obese group (n=1593). In this study, with increasing job stress, the chances of obesity/overweight also increased. After adjusting an important set of confounding variables, a positive and significant relationship was observed between high job stress and obesity/overweight, and the chance of obesity in people with high levels of job stress was 19 higher than those at low category (OR= 1.19, 95 CI: 1.03 – 1.41). Conclusion: The present study provided valuable information about the level of job stress of industrial workers and concluded that there is a significant relationship between job stress and obesity. Therefore, in order to improve the physical health of employees, special attention should be paid to the issue of job stress, so that job stress should be given priority in periodic studies of the physical condition of employees working in industries. Hence, holding training classes on stress control and reduction, psychological counseling sessions, employing psychologists, and providing job security with regard to the existing infrastructure, can be effective measures in advancing the goal of reducing job stress and improving the physical condition of employees. Therefore, by managing the job stress situation of industrial workers through training classes, psychological counseling sessions, and job security, we can take action to improve health indicators, including employee obesity, and thus increase their productivity. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.