Are undergraduate engineering students at greater risk for heart disease than other undergraduate students?

Journal of Engineering Education, Jan 2003 by Foster, Christopher, Spencer, Leslie

ABSTRACT

Sixty Rowan University undergraduate engineering students completed a screening for serum cholesterol and blood pressure and a written survey of their health habits, depression and stress levels. These data were compared to a similar study conducted at Rowan University of 226 undergraduate students from all majors. Engineering students demonstrated slightly higher risk levels in cholesterol and lower levels in blood pressure, compared to the general student population. Among the engineering students, thirty six percent had elevated cholesterol levels (above 200 mg/dL) and 16 percent had elevated systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels (above 140/90). Incidence of Type A personality traits (a measure of stress) was found in 21 percent of the population. Women reported having more stress than did men. Students majoring in electrical and computer engineering reported having the highest stress levels when compared to other engineering majors. A regression analysis identified depression, cigarette smoking, diet, stress, Type A personality and a heredity of high blood pressure as the best predictors of high serum cholesterol among subjects. Engineering educators are encouraged to address these prevalent and potentially performance-impairing health risks among their students.

I. INTRODUCTION

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 950,000 deaths annually [27]. While not the sole cause, the health habits of an individual contribute significantly to the development and progression of the disease [4,7,17, 20,25,26]. A high-fat/low-fiber diet, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, excessive alcohol use and stress have all been shown to contribute to high blood pressure and/or high serum cholesterol [17, 20,25]. While heart disease symptoms may not become evident until middle age, evidence suggests that the problem begins in young adulthood and some experts recommend screening young adults for heart disease risks [4]. Undergraduate college students are at risk for several health risks that may lead to heart disease. Poor dietary and exercise habits [9,10,16,19], alcohol misuse [9,14,16,19] tobacco use [6,9,21,22], and high stress levels [9,12,14,16,19] have been well documented among this population. More recent evidence suggests that college undergraduates may also have elevated blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels [24]. Intervention at earlier ages, which promotes lower serum cholesterol and blood pressure, can prevent problems later in life.

Psychological stress and anxiety may lead to the development of heart disease. According to studies conducted at Pennsylvania State University, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is responsible for "higher frequencies of work absenteeism and medical consultations, increased risk of other anxiety disorders, depression, heart disease, diabetes and cancer" [11]. Closely related to General Anxiety Disorder is the Type A Behavioral Pattern. Type A personality is defined by an exhibition of hostility [13]. Hostility entails the elements of cynicism, anger and aggression, which are defined by a distrust of one's peers, "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense filly and rage" [1], and "[a] behavior directed toward another individual that is carried out with the proximate (immediate) intent to cause harm" [2] respectively. The Type A Behavior Pattern classifies these tendencies toward violent behavior. This accelerated schedule is commonly associated with job stress and has been associated with Congestive Heart Disease [2,8,13].

Additional psychological stresses include tendencies towards mania and depression [23]. Depression is typified by a nearly constant feeling of sadness or loss, where the polar condition sometimes called manic-depression is typified by mood swings between depression state, and a state of euphoria [18]. These stresses, though identified as clinical diseases and recognized as psychological disorders, have not been associated with Congestive Heart Disease in the past. However, as a source and indicator of stress, depressive and manic tendencies will be evaluated as a part of this study.

Desirable blood pressure for adults is defined as systolic below 140 mm Hg, and diastolic below 90 mm Hg. Borderline is defined as 130 to 140 mm Hg for systolic pressure, and 85 to 90 mm Hg for diastolic [25]. Desirable total cholesterol is defined as less than 200 mg/dL, desirable HDL is defined as 35 mg/dL or higher and a desirable ratio was considered to be 6:1 or smaller [16]. Revised guidelines, issued in May 2001, recommended LDL levels below 100 mg/dL and HDL levels above 40 mg/dL [26].

Few, if any studies, have addressed the heart disease risk factors of college students in general or engineering students in particular, yet they may be susceptible to these risks that could subsequently affect their academic and professional performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the following questions: What is the prevalence of heart disease risk factors among undergraduate answered positively to several indicators for both depression and mania. The first nine questions in Table 3 refer to depression related topics, the second nine to manic behaviors, and the last is a severe indicator that the subject needs to seek professional help immediately. According to test scoring information [23], a score of five or more positive responses on either of the two sections indicates a tendency toward that condition. The number of students scoring five or more on depression rating was six, and for mania, eight. Both mean scores were 2.6. Three students had thought about dying or killing themselves.