MEDICAL AND SOCIAL PORTRAIT OF A PERSON WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL STRESS - JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. DATA FROM ESSE-RF AND ESSE-RF2

Highlights

• Psycho-emotional stress is a significant risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, that simultaneously worsens the quality of life of patients with an existing pathology. Moreover, the issue of psycho-emotional stress at the population level in the Russian Federation remains understudied.
• To enhance prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular pathology, the authors studied epidemiological features of psycho-emotional stress and formed a medical and social portrait of people suffering from high levels of psycho-emotional stress based on the representative samples of 27,950 participants aged 25-64 residing in 17 regions of the Russian Federation.

Abstract

Aim. To analyze socio-demographic, behavioral and biological determinants of the psychological stress (PS) at the population level of the Russian Federation (RF) to further advance the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases.

Methods. We studied representative samples of the population aged 25–64 years in 17 Russian regions (n = 27 950), examined as part of the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases in Regions of Russian Federation (ESSE-RF and ESSE-RF2, 2012–2014 and 2017) study. The subjects were interviewed using a questionnaire containing a section on the PS — Perceived Stress Scale-10. PS levels are ranked as follows: “Low” – 0–11, “Medium” – 12–19, “High” – 20–40.

Results. Every fourth person in the Russian Federation (24,8%) experienced a high level of PS, moreover, higher age slightly affected the frequency of PS in both men and women. Determinants of high levels of PS include low level of education, low/moderate income, unemployment, low consumption of vegetables/fruits, short duration of sleep (5–6 hours), anxiety/depression, and a history of ischemic heart disease. Additionally, high levels of PS in women were associated with being single, smoking, having high salt intake, and stroke and cancer in medical history. High levels of PS in men were associated with ages 35–44 years, alcohol abuse, low physical activity, 9–10 hours of sleep, and low-density lipoproteins cholesterol level ≥ 3,0 mmol/L.

Conclusion. We formed a medical and social portrait of people with high levels of PS which will help to develop targeted prevention programs to improve the quality of life for people with poor psycho-emotional health and to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.

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