Occupation and plasma fibrinogen in Japanese male and female workers: The Jichi Medical School Cohort study

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) 2009-03, Vol.68 (6), p.1091-1097
• Main Authors: Hirokawa, Kumi, Tsutsumi, Akizumi, Kayaba, Kazunori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Asian people; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blue Collar Workers; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Comparative analysis; Employment; Female; Fibrinogen; Fibrinogen - analysis; Gender; Gender difference; Gender differences; Health Behavior; Health participants; Heart Diseases; Humans; Japan; Japanese workers; Male; Medical sciences; Menopause; Mental stress; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Occupational category; Occupational medicine; Occupational position; Occupational position Occupational category Fibrinogen Japanese workers Gender difference Socioeconomic status (SES); Occupational Status; Occupations; Plasma; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Factors; Sex Differences; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic status; Socioeconomic status (SES); White Collar Workers; Workers; Working conditions; Working Men; Working Women
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.12.040

This study explored the association between socioeconomic indices and plasma fibrinogen levels in Japanese male and female workers. Occupational category (white-collar vs. blue-collar) and position (manager vs. non-manager) were examined as relevant socioeconomic indices. The study population was a total of 1677 male and 1747 female workers aged 65 and younger taken from the Jichi Medical School Cohort study, a multicenter study designed to explore cardiovascular risk factors in the Japanese population. The association between socioeconomic indices and plasma fibrinogen levels was examined after taking into account several variables such as age, educational attainment, job strain, alcohol consumption, and smoking status and (for women) menopause status. Male white-collar workers had significantly lower fibrinogen levels than blue-collar workers. However, no significant association was found between occupational position and plasma fibrinogen for men. Occupational category interacted with occupational position for women. Among white-collar women, those in non-managerial positions showed higher levels of fibrinogen than those in managerial positions; among blue-collar women, there was no such difference. The association of occupational category and position on fibrinogen levels varied as a function of gender, implying that gender-specific socioeconomic differences could exist in cardiovascular risks in Japanese workers.