Table 1

Characteristics of the samples by cohort

FPSHeSSupHILDASLOSHWHIIMean or proportion pooled across cohorts
Eligible for analyses on cardiometabolic disease28 4916065368135056015
Person-years (mean follow-up time in years)191 829.9 (6.7)54 315.4 (9.0)23 636.0 (6.4)17 766.5 (5.1)107 904.7 (17.9)7.3*
Number of cases (rate per 1000 person-years)616 (3.2)122 (2.3)161 (6.8)108 (6.1)1512 (14.0)
Number (%) of participants experiencing increase in job strain, T1–T25015 (18)839 (14)520 (14)544 (16)1087 (18)16†
Number (%) of participants experiencing no major change in job strain, T1–T219 295 (68)4020 (66)2552 (69)2249 (64)3973 (66)67†
Number (%) of participants experiencing decrease in job strain, T1–T24181 (15)1206 (20)609 (17)712 (20)955 (16)17†
Number (%) of participants with poor mental health5245 (18)915 (15)445 (12)515 (15)740 (12)14†
Number of women (%)23 032 (81)3437 (57)1765 (48)1919 (55)1801 (30)55†
Mean age, T1 (SD)47.1 (8.6)44.3 (9.4)40.0 (12.8)49.2 (9.5)44.8 (6.0)45.4
Number (%) of participants according to socioeconomic status, T1
 Low5121 (18)2487 (41)923 (25)1116 (32)1985 (33)29†
 Intermediate15 454 (54)2235 (37)993 (27)1630 (47)2941 (49)42†
 High7916 (28)1343 (22)1765 (48)759 (22)1089 (18)27†
Number (%) of participants with obesity, T1‡2780 (10)474 (8)674 (18)343 (10)374 (6)10†
Number (%) of participants with physical inactivity, T1‡4831 (17)1045 (17)702 (19)571 (16)1437 (25)19†
Number (%) of participants with high alcohol consumption, T1‡3557 (13)782 (13)389 (14)142 (4)914 (15)11†
Number (%) of participants smoking, T1‡4712 (17)1211 (22)711 (19)465 (13)915 (15)17†
  • *Test for heterogeneity showed p<0.001.

  • †The proportions were pooled through meta-analyses using metaphor with logit transformation to increase the probability of a normal distribution suitable for estimation of summary proportions. Tests for heterogeneity showed p<0.001.

  • ‡Missing values: obesity (FPS n=569, HeSSup n=27, HILDA n=0, SLOSH n=41 and WHII n=8), physical inactivity (FPS n=263, HeSSup n=26, HILDA n=1, SLOSH n=12 and WHII n=183), alcohol consumption (FPS n=65, HeSSup n=1, HILDA n=897, SLOSH n=235 and WHII n=50) and smoking (FPS n=604, HeSSup n=490, HILDA n=5, SLOSH n=7 and WHII n=5).

  • FPS, Finnish Public Sector; HILDA, Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia; HeSSUP, Health and Social Support; SLOSH, Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health; T1, time 1; T2, time 2; WHII, Whitehall II.