http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20391529
This article talks about how job loss leads to increased chance of heart attack. In the article they state that there still needs to be more research done in the area of how stress effects cardiovascular disease, but this shows us some insight on how it could increase the chance of heart attacks. They say that people who recently lost a job were 27% more likely to have a heart attack and that number jumped up to 63% for people who had lost more than 4 jobs. They also showed that in their studies people who lost their jobs had a higher risk of having a heart attack than people with stressful jobs. They also state that for people who keep busy by doing physical activities when they lose a job, their risk of having a heart attack are reduced greatly.
This article talks about how job loss leads to increased chance of heart attack. In the article they state that there still needs to be more research done in the area of how stress effects cardiovascular disease, but this shows us some insight on how it could increase the chance of heart attacks. They say that people who recently lost a job were 27% more likely to have a heart attack and that number jumped up to 63% for people who had lost more than 4 jobs. They also showed that in their studies people who lost their jobs had a higher risk of having a heart attack than people with stressful jobs. They also state that for people who keep busy by doing physical activities when they lose a job, their risk of having a heart attack are reduced greatly.
This is a very interesting article. Do you think these results would remain the same for people our age? Would these results stay the same for those who were recently unemployed, or could they also reflect those who haven't found employment after graduating college?
ReplyDeleteI can see how physical activities can decrease the chance of a heart attack. I also wonder what other diseases it could decrease.
I think this article, though a cursory summary of the issue, highlights a stressor that is most likely increasing in this country. With unemployment rates rising, doctors, psychologists, social workers, and counselors everywhere will see more and more people who are under the stress of having lost a job. This information by itself is nice to know, but it barely records any way to counteract people's increasing risk of having heart attacks. Yes, the article discusses the fact that exercise is a wonderful way to manage stress, but it does not talk about other ways. What about people who have limited ability to exercise? How much exercise is needed to counteract a 63% increase in heart attack risk? What other ways to manage stress can mental health and medical practitioners suggest to their patients?
ReplyDeleteI also think it would be interesting to see how much exercise it would take to overcome the 63% increase in heart attack risk. I posted about an article earlier saying how exercise can help overcome addiction. I think anytime the mind is focused on something productive it takes some of the stress away. Or in the case of what I wrote about addiction people are working towards other goals which helps when it comes to addiction. I think it would be harder when it comes to the stress of losing a job. Working is a huge portion of a persons daily routine. Even if a person exercises for 2 hours a day their is still a lot of time where people are not working. I think the big stress has do do with the financial burdens and its affects on not only the individual but also the family. So while I think exercise would help decrease the 63%, I do not believe it would drastically decrease.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting relationship. Losing a job can definitely be stressful. I would be curious to see a more detailed study of this relationship. I know that many times people lose jobs through no fault of there own, but I would be interested to see the personality types of people getting chronically fired. They likely don't take great care of themselves. Or they are not choosing the right jobs or are restricted to the types of jobs because of SES, location, etc. Also, I would imagine the stress level would be much higher for the main breadwinner or single parent losing their job. Finally, I would be curious to see if their diets changed to high fat foods after being fired.
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