Study on Health and Life Habits, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Capacity Among Female Care Workers and Female General Workers

Abstract

Background: Care workers have been considered to have higher work-related stress than general workers, which can have a considerable effect on their life habits. Hence, psychological and physiological stress levels should be examined. While several studies have investigated psychological stress among care workers, none have examined physiological stress. In addition, very few studies have been investigated for the relationship between life habits and physiological stress. Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between health and life habits and physiological stress among female care workers and general workers and identify differences therein. Methods: Subjects included 30 care workers (average age: 49.8) and 33 general workers (average age: 51.9). No significant difference in their age was noted. The “Diagnostic Inventory of Health and Life Habit” developed by Tokunaga was used to examine health and life habits. Physiological stress was examined by measuring diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) using FRAS4 manufactured by WISMERLL Co., Ltd. during the subjects’ working hours. Results: Care workers were taller, heavier, woke up later, and slept longer than general workers. Both care workers and general workers had average health and life habit parameter scores that fell within the “moderate” and “slightly low” categories, with no significant differences between both groups. Both care workers and general workers were judged as "caution required" which indicated undesirable health and life habits. No significant differences in d-ROMs and BAP were observed between both groups, many of whom fell under the “high oxidative stress” category for d-ROMs and “borderline” for BAP. Regarding the relationship between d-ROMs and BAP values and health and life habit parameters, our results found some relationship between exercise behaviors and d-ROMs only among care workers. Conclusion: General workers and care workers included herein had similarly poor health levels and undesirable life habits. Moreover, both groups had high d-ROMs and normal BAP levels in average, with no significant differences in both indexes. Several care workers with high d-ROMs tended to not participate in sport activities or exercise and did not expect to profit from them.