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Association between perceived stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors: preliminary results of NURSE (Nursing Unacquainted Related Stress Etiologies) study

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Abstract

Objective

Stress is known as a conventional risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Nurses work in stressful environment and could be one of the target populations to be assessed for cardio metabolic risk factor. This study aimed to identify the association between perceived stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors in nurses who are prone for various metabolic diseases.

Method

In this cross-sectional study, nurses from five different educational hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Science attended the study. A self-administered questionnaire as well as Perceived Stress scale were completed. All anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured. After 10–12 hours of fasting, venous blood samples were taken and level of total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood sugar and insulin level were determined. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and a p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

In total 273 nurses were recruited in this study. The mean age of participants was 35.01 ± 0.399 years old. The mean of perceived stress was 15.55 ± 5.04 with the minimum of 3 and maximum of 30. There was no significant association between perceived stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Results showed that there was a negative association between perceived stress and insulin level only in nurses who worked rotationally (β = − 0.195, p = 0.048). This association remained significant after adjustment for age and sex (β = − 0.181, P = 0.041).

Conclusion

Finding of the current study showed that negative association between perceived stress and insulin level and there is no significant association between stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors in nurses.

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Funding

This study was founded by Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Sciences Research center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Motahareh Kheradmand & Mahmood Moosazadeh

  2. Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Aalaa

  3. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Aalaa

  4. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Sedigheh Salemi

  5. Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mahnaz Sanjari

Authors
  1. Motahareh Kheradmand
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  2. Maryam Aalaa
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  3. Sedigheh Salemi
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  4. Mahmood Moosazadeh
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  5. Mahnaz Sanjari
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahnaz Sanjari.

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Ethics approval

It should be noted that the study was approved by the Ethics-in-Research Commission of Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Ref Number: E-00172) and written informed consent was also obtained from participants.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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What is “already known” in this topic: Nurses work in stressful environment which considered as one of a conventional risk factor of cardiovascular disease. In our study, the association between perceived stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors in nurses were studied.

What this article adds: This study showed that there is the negative association between perceived stress and insulin level and no significant association between stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors in nurses.

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Kheradmand, M., Aalaa, M., Salemi, S. et al. Association between perceived stress and cardio-metabolic risk factors: preliminary results of NURSE (Nursing Unacquainted Related Stress Etiologies) study. J Diabetes Metab Disord 22, 1211–1215 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-023-01236-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-023-01236-y

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