Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study: A Seven- and Twelve-Year Prospective Analysis of Occupational Exposures and Health Outcomes Among Police Officers

Details

• Journal Article:
  International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Personal Author:
  Violanti, John M. ; Fekedulegn, Desta B. ; Burchfiel, Cecil M. ; McCanlies, Erin C. ; Service, Samantha K. ; Mnatsakanova, Anna ; Gu, Ja K. ; Allison, Penelope ; Andrew, Michael E. ; Charles, Luenda E.
• Description:
  Objective: Overall, police officers have higher rates of several adverse health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular health profiles and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) compared to persons in many other occupations. Our objective was to conduct a comparative study of occupational exposures and health outcomes among police officers across: (a) a 7-year period, from the baseline examination (2004-2009) to the 1st follow-up examination (2011-2015) and (b) a 12-year period, from baseline to the 2nd follow-up examination (2015-2019). Methods: Participants were from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study. Variables were assessed through self-report, standardized validated questionnaires, or standardized medical procedures. We computed the 7- and 12-year changes in mean values (for continuous/numeric variables) or prevalence (for categorical variables) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using MIXED and GENMOD procedures in SAS. Results: Occupational stress significantly increased over 12 years [3.4; (95% CI 1.2, 5.6)]. The percentage of officers who reported excellent/very good health significantly decreased across both time periods: [- 11.8%; (- 17.8, - 5.9)] across seven years and [- 17.3%; (- 24.2, - 10.4)] across 12 years. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased over seven years [10.7%; (5.3-16.0)] and over 12 years [7.4%; (0.1-14.0)]. Abdominal obesity and glucose intolerance significantly increased over both time periods while hypertension and elevated triglyceride levels increased slightly but not significantly over both time periods. Conclusion: Occupational stressors and some health outcomes of officers worsened over time indicating the need for self-health monitoring and wellness programs for police.
• Subjects:
  Law Enforcement Mental Health Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Stress Safety Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Police Officers; Health; Cardiovascular Disease; PTSD; Depression; Stress Police Officers; Job Stress; Longitudinal Study; Cardiovascular Disease; Mental Health; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; PTSD; Occupational Exposure; Metabolic Disorders; Obesity; Health Surveys;
• Source:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2025 Jul; 98(4-5):451-465
• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; West Virginia ; New York City [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  15 pdf pages
• Volume:
  98
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071414
• Contact Point Address:
  John M. Violanti, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
• Email:
  violanti@buffalo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Buffalo
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100901
• End Date:
  20150831
• Resource Number:
  4927ZKAD
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:684f4e6ede0e3aedcaca2ac588790f4ae364cffce6f01b2ad89da1d31a8336f7ab7361830c05dd06055f5057a42e1b83c34b46d1252d6bc79205e9950100d39e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259013/cdc_259013_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 887.98 KB ]