Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with the risk factors of cardiovascular disease: Evaluation using the Japan step test from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

• Published in: Journal of occupational health Vol. 64; no. 1; pp. e12353 - n/a
• Main Authors: So, Rina, Murai, Fumiko, Matsuo, Tomoaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-01-2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Age; Alcohol; Algorithms; Blood pressure; Body mass index; Brief Report; Brief Reports; Cardiorespiratory Fitness; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Certification; Confidence intervals; Data recovery; Electrocardiography; Electrolytes; Evaluation; Exercise; exercise test; Exercise Test - methods; Female; Glucose; Health risks; Heart diseases; Humans; Hypertension; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Metabolic disorders; Occupational Health; Occupational safety; Physical Fitness; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Statistical analysis; Triglycerides; Validity; Workers; Japan; cardiovascular disease; risk factors; exercise test; occupational health
• ISSN: 1348-9585; 1341-9145; 1348-9585
• DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12353

Objective
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important factor for evaluating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We recently developed a novel method (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan step test [JST]) for evaluating CRF in workers; its criterion validity has been investigated. However, its association with health risk must be confirmed before its application in the workplace. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association of JST‐evaluated CRF with the prevalence of CVD risk among Japanese workers.
Methods
For CRF evaluation, working adults completed the JST, which comprised a 3‐minute stepping exercise and a 2‐minute recovery period. Data on CVD risk factors and clinical history were collected through medical certification within 1 year from the date of the JST measurements. Participants were divided into three groups for multiple logistic regression analyses based on the JST values (low, moderate, and high). Odds ratios (ORs) for the prevalence of CVD risk were calculated.
Results
We recruited 885 working adults (46.4% women). The prevalence of CVD risk in the total population was 18.6%. When compared to the reference group (low CRF), the ORs for CVD risk prevalence after adjustments for lifestyle factors (smoking status, alcohol consumption status, and exercise habits) were 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.63) and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.18–0.45) for the moderate and high groups, respectively.
Conclusion
An inverse association was noted between the JST‐evaluated CRF and CVD risk prevalence. JST may be helpful for identifying workers at risk for CVD development.