NIOSH-Funded Study Finds Link Between Low Wages and High Blood Pressure
Research recently published in the European Journal of Public Health and
partially funded by NIOSH has found links between low pay and high blood
pressure, as described in the NIOSH Science Blog at http://go.usa.gov/49nd. According the blog, low socio-economic status has been linked to hypertension, but the reasons why have been unclear. This is the first study to examine wages, a part that contributes to status, as a risk factor for hypertension. “Wages are an indicator of job quality and may be linked to feelings of self worth. Low wages can also create financial stress for families that find themselves short of funds to pay for rent, electricity, heat, and gas for their cars,” the blog says, and then makes the point, “Costs directly attributable to high blood pressure for the nation total almost $131 billion annually in direct medical expenses and $25 billion in lost productivity.”