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Work engagement and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels among Japanese workers: a 1-year prospective cohort study

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International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Evidence on the association between psychological well-being and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels is limited. We carried out a prospective study to investigate the association between work engagement and hs-CRP levels in a group of Japanese workers.

Methods

Our cohort included 1,857 men and 657 women aged 65 and under, and free from major illness, working at two manufacturing worksites in Japan. Baseline examinations were conducted from April to June 2011 to determine the demographic and lifestyle characteristics and levels of work engagement. Blood samples were obtained from participants at baseline and after 1 year. Participants were classified into tertiles of low, moderate, and high work engagement at baseline. Hs-CRP levels were split into low (≤3.0 mg/L) and high (>3.0 mg/L). We used multiple logistic regression analyses to evaluate the association between work engagement at baseline and hs-CRP levels at follow-up, adjusting for hs-CRP at baseline and potential confounding factors.

Results

Participants reporting moderate and high levels of work engagement at baseline had significantly lower odds ratios (ORs) of having high hs-CRP levels at follow-up than those with low levels of work engagement at baseline [OR of moderate level 0.44, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.24–0.81; OR of high level 0.57, 95 % CI 0.33–0.99; p for trend <0.05].

Conclusion

Findings suggest that work engagement has beneficial effects on workers’ cardiovascular health.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan: “Elucidation of social stratification mechanisms and control over health inequalities in contemporary Japan: New interdisciplinary areas of social and health sciences” (The Project “Social Stratification and Health”). This study was conducted as part of the Japanese Study of Health, Occupation and Psychosocial Factors related to Equity (J-HOPE). The funding organizations had no role in the conception and design of the study, the collection and analysis of data, interpretation of the findings, or writing the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1, Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, 252-0374, Japan

    Hisashi Eguchi & Akizumi Tsutsumi

  2. Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Akihito Shimazu & Norito Kawakami

  3. Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan

    Akiomi Inoue

  4. Department of Occupational and Community Health Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan

    Akinori Nakata

Authors
  1. Hisashi Eguchi
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  2. Akihito Shimazu
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  3. Norito Kawakami
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  4. Akiomi Inoue
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  5. Akinori Nakata
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  6. Akizumi Tsutsumi
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Correspondence to Hisashi Eguchi.

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Eguchi, H., Shimazu, A., Kawakami, N. et al. Work engagement and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels among Japanese workers: a 1-year prospective cohort study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88, 651–658 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0995-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0995-9

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