Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study: a seven- and twelve-year prospective analysis of occupational exposures and health outcomes among police officers

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.