• Projektnummer : F 2572
• Projektdurchführung : Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
• Status : Laufendes Projekt
• Geplantes Ende : 2030-01-31

Projektbeschreibung :

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (or cardiometabolic diseases) are highly relevant from an occupational health point of view due to their frequency. Their complex aetiology (causes), involving many factors, has consequently been a major research topic for Unit 3.1 "Prevention of Work-related Diseases" at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, BAuA) since 2010.

Population-based cohort studies contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases by providing long-term prospective observations that help establish causality. Thus, this project is based on data from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), a population-based cohort study that started in 2007 in Mainz and the surrounding area.

This fifteen-year longitudinal study of approximately 12,000 people aged between 30 and 67 will further examine the long-term impact of work-related risk factors, such as excessively long working hours, working night shifts, and psychosocial strain due to bullying on the risk of developing a cardiometabolic disease.

For the first time, the physical activity of study participants will be recorded using accelerometers worn for several days. The activity profiles (time spent sitting, standing, walking, lying, running, cycling) generated from the accelerometer data will make it possible to estimate participants’ energy expenditure at work and derive physical activity profiles for various occupational groups. In addition, the study will investigate whether employees who spend long/uninterrupted periods sitting or standing are at increased risk of cardiometabolic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.

The study will also examine whether precarious working conditions (e.g., temporary contracts) or working from home are associated with cardiovascular and metabolic health at the fifteen-year follow-up, and whether employees confronted with new digital technologies have an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disease. Finally, whether occupational groups that generally experience increased psychosocial strain (e.g., teachers) differ in terms of depression, burnout, and/or health behaviour (e.g., smoking, sleeping and eating habits) compared to other occupational groups. Additionally, the above analyses will consider whether the associations differ between men and women.