Ss33-05 Effectiveness of Interventions to Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases at the Workplace

Abstract Introduction On a global scale, the population-attributable fraction on 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence of modifiable risk factors is 57.2% and 52.6% in women and men, respectively. The aim of the paper is to summarize the evidence-based effectiveness of workplace interventions to prevent CVDs. Materials and Methods A literature search was carried out using as key words ‘workplace health promotion’ (WHP) and ‘total worker health’ (TWH) interventions, focusing on reviews. Results Overall, WHP interventions, including the so-called ‘assessment of health risks with feedback plus’ (AHRFp), dealt mostly with CVD-related lifestyles (improve healthy diets, stop smoking, control alcohol intake, increase leisure time physical activity (LTPA)) but gave poor attention to work-related risk factors. The effect size of estimated reduction of CVDs in 18 randomized control trials was modest (0,24; 95%CI 0,14-0,34). NIOSH promoted TWH interventions, integrating health promotion (HP) and occupational safety and/or health (OSH) programs. A review published in 2015 including 17 studies combining HP and OSH interventions concluded that there is insufficient evidence ‘to identify best practice interventions’, highlighting in most studies severe methodological weaknesses. One study succeeded in demonstrating that combined HP and OSH was more effective than HP only. Since then, emerging evidence suggests that interventions to reduce work strain and sedentarism are more effective among blue and white collars; high levels of LTPA may be dangerous for workers engaged in strenuous efforts at work. Conclusions The interactions between work-related stressors and modifiable risk factors may improve CVD prediction and make prevention at workplace more effective.