Table 3.
Perception of mental stress at baseline, prevalence of symptoms in 1968 and incidence of symptoms in 1974
| 1968 (cross-sectional data) | 1974 (prospective data) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|||||
| n68 | 2 vs none | 3–5 vs none | n74 | 2 vs none | 3–5 vs none | |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
| OR (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | |||
| Abdominal symptoms | 401 | 1.29 (0.92–1.80) | 1.94 (1.46–2.57)* | 139 | 1.02 (0.59–1.77) | 2.19 (1.42–3.39)* |
| 1.28 (0.92–1.80) | 1.85 (1.39–2.46) | 1.01 (0.58–1.75) | 2.15 (1.39–3.34)* | |||
| Obstructive symptoms | 308 | 1.30 (0.91–1.85) | 1.22 (0.89–1.68) | 109 | 1.97 (1.18–3.29) | 1.38 (0.83–2.29) |
| 1.23 (0.86–1.78) | 1.10 (0.79–1.53) | 1.93 (1.15–3.23) | 1.28 (0.77–2.15) | |||
| Headache/migraine | 402 | 1.25 (0.89–1.75) | 2.00 (1.48–2.61)* | 148 | 0.92 (0.53–1.59) | 2.27 (1.48–3.48)** |
| 1.29 (0.92–1.81) | 2.04 (1.53–2.72)* | 0.92 (0.53–1.59)¶ | 2.27 (1.48–3.48)**¶ | |||
| Frequent infections | 130 | 1.68 (1.03–2.75) | 1.93 (1.26–2.95) | 47 | 1.84 (0.84–4.03) | 2.21 (1.12–4.36) |
| 1.63 (0.99–2.68) | 1.75 (1.14–2.70) | 1.84 (0.84–4.03)¶ | 2.21 (1.12–4.36)¶ | |||
| Musculoskeletal symptoms | 564 | 1.16 (0.85–1.58) | 1.70 (1.30–2.23)* | 209 | 1.31 (0.84–2.04) | 1.21 (0.78–1.86) |
| 1.16 (0.85–1.58)¶ | 1.70 (1.30–2.23)*¶ | 1.29 (0.83–2.01) | 1.14 (0.74–1.77) | |||
| Hypertension | 290 | 0.72 (0.48–1.10) | 0.86 (0.61–1.23) | 148 | 1.16 (0.72–1.87) | 0.74 (0.45–1.20) |
| 0.78 (0.50–1.19) | 0.89 (0.62–1.28) | 1.20 (0.74–1.96) | 0.77 (0.47–1.27) | |||
Notes: Intermediate (level 2) and high level of mental stress (level 3–5) was compared with no experience of mental stress during the last 5 years (level 0–1). The upper line gives the result for mental stress in a model adjusted for age only, the lower line for the adjusted model, where covariates where selected from smoking (former, current, ever), OPA, LTPA, WHR, BMI by stepwise selection. The number of individuals with symptoms at baseline 1968 is denoted by n68; n74 gives the number of women with symptoms in 1974 among all women without symptoms at baseline.
P < 0.05;
P < 0.01 significance level for test of mental stress level 3–5 vs level 2;
no covariates were selected in addition to age and stress level.
Abbreviations: LTPA, leisure time physical activity; OPA, occupational physical activity; WHR, waist hip ratio; BMI, body mass index; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.