Health and the worker

Two recent articles relating to health and work have recently been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine  

The first looks at obesity and if there is any correlation to the work place, and the second looks at if physical inactivity and prolonged sitting are associated with negative health outcomes

Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Workers and Associations with Occupational Factors 

Research published by Sara E. Luckhaupt, MD, MPH: Martha A. Cohen, PhD;  Jia Li, MS and Geoffrey M. Calvert, MD, MPH 

Is it what you do for a living that is making you overweight?

A recent study tries to throw light on this idea

Background 

Along with public health and clinical professionals, employers are taking note of rising obesity rates among their employees, as obesity is strongly related to chronic health problems and concomitant increased healthcare costs. Contributors to the obesity epidemic are complex and numerous, and may include several work characteristics. 

Purpose 

To explore associations between occupational factors and obesity among U.S. workers. 

Methods 

Data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey were utilized to calculate weighted prevalence rates and prevalence ratios (PRs) for obesity in relation to workweek length, work schedule, work arrangement, hostile work environment, job insecurity, work–family imbalance, and industry and occupation of employment. Data were collected in 2010 and analysed in 2012−2013. 

Results 

Overall, 27.7% of U.S. workers met the BMI criterion for obesity. Among all workers, employment for more than 40 hours per week and exposure to a hostile work environment were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of obesity, although the differences were modest. Employment in health care and social assistance and public administration industries, as well as architecture and engineering, community and social service, protective service, and office and administrative support occupations was also associated with increased obesity prevalence. 

Conclusions 

Work-related factors may contribute to the high prevalence of obesity in the U.S. working population. Public health professionals and employers should consider workplace interventions that target organization-level factors, such as scheduling and prevention of workplace hostility, along with individual-level factors such as diet and exercise. 

Full report:   http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00617-X/fulltext  

Health Care Costs Associated with Prolonged Sitting and Inactivity 

G.M.E.E. (Geeske) Peeters, PhD;  Gita D. Mishra, PhD  ;Annette J. Dobson, PhD and 

Wendy J. Brown, PhD 

Purpose

To examine the health-related costs of prolonged sitting and inactivity in middle-aged women.   

Methods  

Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health participants (born 1946−1951) answered questions about time spent sitting, walking, and in moderate and vigorous leisure activities in 2001 (n=6108); 2004 (n=5902); 2007 (n=5754); and 2010 (n=5535) surveys. Sitting time was categorized as low (0−4); moderate (5−7); and high (≥8 hours/day). Physical activity was categorized as inactive (<40); low (40−600); moderate (600−1200); and high (≥1200 MET-minutes/week). National health insurance claims data averaged over the survey year ±1 year were used to calculate annual costs (Australian dollars [AU$]). Differences between categories in median costs were estimated using quantile regression over four surveys with bootstrapped 95% CIs. Analyses were performed in 2013.   

Results  

In 2010, annual median costs were AU$689 (interquartile range [IQR]=274, 1541) in highly active participants; AU$741 (IQR=279, 1690) in inactive participants; AU$671 (IQR=273, 1551) in participants with low sitting time; and AU$709 (IQR=283, 1575) in participants with high sitting time. The difference in median costs for inactive and highly active participants was AU$94 (CI=57, 131) after adjustment for confounders. No statistically significant associations were found between sitting time and costs. When sitting and physical activity were combined, high sitting time did not add to the inactivity-associated increased costs. Associations were consistent across normal-weight, overweight, and obese subgroups. 

Full report:- http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00636-3/abstract

I know many who have been driven to drink because of their occupation. Ed