Abstract
M.A. (Public Health)
Aim Hypertension in South Africa has become increasingly common in much of the university employee population. Work stress and long work hours are risk factors which have gained growing attention in recent years. Interventions within the work setting are regarded to be cost-effective in averting cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of occupational risk factors among employees at a South African university, as well as to examine the control of hypertension among hypertensive employees. Methods The study made use of a cross-sectional research design. The sample size was ascertained using EPINFO (Version 7.2.3.1). The study sample consisted of 155 participants. Primary self-reported data was collected by means of an online digital questionnaire. Descriptive statistics for participant characteristics, occupational risk factors for hypertension and the control of occupational hypertension were conducted. Bivariate Pearson correlation was run to establish the relationship between the presence of self-reported hypertension and the risk factors for occupational hypertension. Linear logistic regression models separated by sex were fitted to establish the relationship between the presence of hypertension and several different covariates. Results The response rate of the study was 100%. Participant distribution was 80(51.6%) female and 75(48.4%) male. A total of 35.5% of the study sample reported being hypertensive. A total of 17.4% of female employees, and 17.6% of male employees reported being hypertensive. Over 50% of the total study sample agreed that their jobs were stressful. 58.7% of the male employees (75) worked over 40 hours/week, compared to 41.3% of the female employees (80) who worked the same. Among males, hypertension was associated with an increase in job strain (p<.05). After controlling for age and gender, 46% of the variation in the presence of self-reported hypertension can be explained by the covariates (physical activity and time spent reclining during work hours) in the model...