Women working in service industry at greater risk for LUTS

A recent study has found that employment in managerial and professional positions across early and mid-adulthood may result in a reduced risk for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) at midlife, while that in service positions tends to increase such risk.

The authors examined data of women in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults cohort study and assessed occupation seven times starting from age 18 years up to 30 years (1985-1986 through 2005-2006). They also counted the number of assessments the participants reported working in each of the nine job categories.

In 2012-2013, the authors analysed LUTS and their impact when women were 44 to 61 years of age. They also performed proportional odds ordinal logistic regression analysis, in which symptoms/impact were regressed on a single occupation variable, adjusting for age, race, and parity (n=858).

Each additional assessment that women reported employment in a managerial or professional job showed a 9-percent lower likelihood of subsequently experiencing greater LUTS and impact (odds ratio [OR], 0.91, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.86‒0.96).

Conversely, each additional assessment that women reported working in a service job showed 25-percent greater odds of experiencing greater symptoms and impact (OR, 1.25, 95 percent CI, 1.14‒1.36).

These associations persisted even after adjusting for education, financial hardship, health behaviours, and health conditions.

“Research is needed to investigate mechanisms by which occupation may influence later symptoms, such as timely access to workplace toilets,” the authors said.