Heart@Work Study

STUDY BASICS

Are you a male food service, healthcare, or facilities maintenance worker aged 35-59? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to learn more about heart activity in men who have highly active jobs. The study involves 1 in-person visit and wearing monitors that record your heart activity and movement pattern for one week. Compensation provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. However, research has shown that people with highly active jobs may not receive the same health benefits as people who are physically active during their free time. Researchers do not fully understand why exercise performed during free time may have a different health effect than physical activity performed during work time.   

The purpose of this study is to learn more about heart activity in middle-aged men who work in highly active jobs in the food service, healthcare, facilities maintenance, or material moving industries. Researchers hope their findings lead to a better understanding of how a person’s occupation affects their heart health.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Males aged 35-59
• Currently work a full-time job in food service, healthcare, facilities maintenance, or material moving
• Do not have a second job or work overnight shifts
• Do not have heart disease or another serious medical condition

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Participation involves one in-person visit at our research facility and wearing monitors that record your heart activity and movement pattern for one week. The visit to campus will include completing questionnaires, having your blood pressure taken, and completing a walking test. The at-home portion of the study will require that you wear two small activity monitors and a chest heart rate strap for one week. You will also wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours on two separate days.