0226 Using Biomarkers to Measure Work Stress: Allostatic Load by Occupation and Industry in the Chilean Workforce
研究利用生物标志物测量智利不同职业和行业工人的累积负荷（慢性压力累积指标），发现职业间存在显著梯度，最高与最低相差近6倍，为职业健康干预提供依据。
<h3>Objectives</h3> One hypothesised mechanism by which chronic stress results in negative health outcomes is through allostatic load (AL), which is a measure of the cumulative ‘wear and tear’ experienced by the body when activating physiologic responses in order to maintain homeostasis. This studied aimed to quantify and compare the mean levels of allostatic load experienced by workers in different occupations and industries in Chile. <h3>Method</h3> From a weighted national survey of the Chilean population (n = 1199), occupations and industries were categorised by their average AL level, which was measured using a composite of secondary biomarkers of chronic stress exposure that fell outside of a “well-centred” range (extreme normal high value biomarkers). The numbers of biomarkers that fell outside of this range were counted for each worker in order to represent AL. Adjusting by age, sex, education, smoking status, and personal income, Poisson-log generalised linear mixed models were used to generate mean levels of AL for each occupation and industry. <h3>Results</h3> An important and statistically significant gradient was observed in mean AL levels between different occupations (from 0.7 to 4.1 mean number of extreme normal high value biomarkers) and industries (from 0.8 to 2.3). <h3>Conclusions</h3> There is a clear occupational gradient of AL in the Chilean workforce. Preventive and clinical activities should focus on workers of those occupations with highest AL, because previous studies have observed an association between AL and mortality. The work-related risk factors that generate these occupational and industrial gradients in AL should be examined further.