%0 Journal Article %A Janicki-Deverts, Denise %A Cohen, Sheldon %A A. Matthews, Karen %A Jacobs, David R %A Adler, Nancy %D 2011 %T Occupational Mobility and Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness: Findings From the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study %U https://kilthub.cmu.edu/articles/journal_contribution/Occupational_Mobility_and_Carotid_Artery_Intima-Media_Thickness_Findings_From_the_Coronary_Artery_Risk_Development_in_Young_Adults_Study/6617363 %R 10.1184/R1/6617363.v1 %2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216404/ %K CARDIA %K IMT %K occupational mobility %K occupational social class %K socioeconomic status %X

OBJECTIVE:

To examine whether a 10-year change in occupational standing is related to carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) 5 years later.

METHODS:

Data were obtained from 2350 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Occupational standing was measured at the Year 5 and 15 CARDIA follow-up examinations when participants were 30.2 (standard deviation = 3.6) and 40.2 (standard deviation = 3.6) years of age, respectively. IMT (common carotid artery [CCA], internal carotid artery [ICA], and bulb) was measured at Year 20. Occupational mobility was defined as the change in occupational standing between Years 5 and 15 using two semicontinuous variables. Analyses controlled for demographics, CARDIA center, employment status, parents' medical history, own medical history, Year 5 Framingham Risk Score, physiological risk factors and health behaviors averaged across the follow-up, and sonography reader.

RESULTS:

Occupational mobility was unrelated to IMT save for an unexpected association of downward mobility with less CCA-IMT (β = -0.04, p = .04). However, associations differed depending on initial standing (Year 5) and sex. For those with lower initial standings, upward mobility was associated with less CCA-IMT (β = -0.07, p = .003), and downward mobility was associated with greater CCA-IMT and bulb-ICA-IMT (β = 0.14, p = .01 and β = 0.14, p = .03, respectively); for those with higher standings, upward mobility was associated with greater CCA-IMT (β = 0.15, p = .008), but downward mobility was unrelated to either IMT measure (p values > .20). Sex-specific analyses revealed associations of upward mobility with less CCA-IMT and bulb-ICA-IMT among men only (p values < .02).

CONCLUSIONS:

Occupational mobility may have implications for future cardiovascular health. Effects may differ depending on initial occupational standing and sex.

%I Carnegie Mellon University