Associations between Daily Work Hassles and Energy-Balance Behaviors in Female African American Workers: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Abstract

Objective: Despite their high rate of labor force participation, African American women earn less and are overrepresented in service jobs that tend to have fewer benefits, longer work hours, and less flex­ibility. The aim of our study was to examine associations between work-related daily has­sles and energy balance behaviors among female African American workers.Design: A secondary analysis of a 7-day intensive longitudinal study using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).Setting: Metropolitan area of Chicago, Illinois, United States; July 2012 through January 2013.Participants: A convenience sample of 70 female African American workers.Methods: EMA was used to collect informa­tion over seven days on work hassles and energy balance behaviors: empty calorie food intake; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); sedentary behavior; sleep duration; and sleep disturbance. Within-person associations between daily work hassles and each of these daily energy bal­ance behaviors were analyzed using person fixed-effects regression.Results: A total of 334 person-day observa­tions from 70 female African American workers were included in the final analysis. Reporting at least one daily work hassle was associated with same-day higher empty calorie food intake (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.6) and more daily minutes of sedentary behavior (b: 35.8, 95% CI; .2, 71.3). How­ever, no significant associations were found between prior-day work hassles and either food intake or sedentary behavior. Daily work hassles were not related to MVPA, sleep duration, or sleep disturbance.Conclusions: Our study showed that daily work hassles were associated with female African American workers’ empty calo­rie food intake and sedentary behaviors. Strategies to eliminate daily work hassles may help to improve their energy balance behaviors. Ethn Dis. 2021;31(2):177-186; doi:10.18865/ed.31.2.177

A Study of Obesity and Financial Stress in Workers in the United States: Findings from the NHIS 2021A Study of Obesity and Financial Stress in Workers in the United States: Findings from the NHIS 2021

“…The consumption of less healthy food due to work stress would be consistent with our observation that US workers in lower income and educational groups, as well as Black workers compared to all other race and ethnic groups, were at greatest risk for obesity [31,32]. Racial status may be a proxy for access to valued resources and, by extension, access to the availability to health promoting coping options [7,33,34]. For example, more a uent workers can afford to go a gym [35] and live in environments where they can access and eat healthy food.…”

“…Overeating or the consumption of comfort foods can act to shut down this stress response system by regulating the release of CRH or CRF [7]. Moreover, fat storage changes in response to stress eating from peripheral to central distribution, making it more likely to be a risk factor for disease [7].…”

“…Under these circumstances lower SES individuals are more likely to respond to stress by engaging in unhealthy coping behaviors [34]. Thus, work stress becomes a pattern in which the need for comfort from stress, combined with accessibility to poor quality food that feels comforting, results in obesity [7,33,37]. It should be noted that the interaction between full time employment and education and full time employment and income was not signi cant suggesting that relative impact of education and income does not differ for predicting obesity among full time working adults.…”

“…As a complex disorder, the causes of obesity are multifactorial, and may be due to a combination of environmental, genetic, emotional, and psychological factors [6]. Obesity due to excess caloric intake has been linked to stress at work, and the consumption of high calorie "comfort" foods [7,8]. Studies, although somewhat dated, have documented that psychosocial work stressors such as high demands, low job control, low social support, and poor treatment [9] are risk factors for obesity among workers.…”

A Study of Obesity and Financial Stress in Workers in the United States: Findings from the NHIS 2021

“…Studies, although somewhat dated, have documented that psychosocial work stressors such as high demands, low job control, low social support, and poor treatment [9] are risk factors for obesity among workers. Reduced bene ts, longer work hours and other work hassles have been documented to have a positive association with the consumption of high energy, low nutritional value foods in African American women [10]. Working 40 or more hours per week and exposure to hostile work environments were signi cantly associated with an increased prevalence of obesity in US workers [11].…”