title: Associations of job strain and working overtime with adverse health behaviors and obesity: evidence from the Whitehall II Study, Helsinki Health Study, and the Japanese Civil Servants Study.
abstract: Adverse health behaviors and obesity are key determinants of major chronic diseases. Evidence on work-related determinants of these behavioral risk factors is inconclusive, and comparative studies are especially lacking. We aimed to examine the associations between job strain, working overtime, adverse health behaviors, and obesity among 45-60-year-old white-collar employees of the Whitehall II Study from London (n=3,397), Helsinki Health Study (n=6,070), and the Japanese Civil Servants Study (n=2,213). Comparable data from all three cohorts were pooled, and logistic regression analysis was used, stratified by cohort and sex. Models were adjusted for age, occupational class, and marital status. Outcomes were unhealthy food habits, physical inactivity, heavy drinking, smoking, and obesity. In London, men reporting passive work were more likely to be physically inactive. A similar association was repeated among women in Helsinki. Additionally, high job strain was associated with physical inactivity among men in London and women in Helsinki. In London, women reporting passive work were less likely to be heavy drinkers and smokers. In Japan, men working overtime reported less smoking, whereas those with high job strain were more likely to smoke. Among men in Helsinki the association between working overtime and non-smoking was also suggested, but it reached statistical significance in the age-adjusted model only. Obesity was associated with working overtime among women in London. In conclusion, job strain and working overtime had some, albeit mostly weak and inconsistent, associations with adverse health behaviors and obesity in these middle-aged white-collar employee cohorts from Britain, Finland, and Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, P.O. Box 41 (Mannerheimintie 172), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. tea.lallukka@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Tea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lallukka
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lahelma
authors.forename: Ossi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rahkonen
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laaksonen
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martikainen
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Head
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: Annhild
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosdol
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marmot
authors.forename: Michikazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nasermoaddeli
authors.forename: Sadanobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kagamimori
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D010808:Physical Examination; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data