Gender differences and occupational factors for the risk of obesity in the Italian working population

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a multifactorial condition and a major risk factor associated with several noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, and with a higher risk of premature death and disability. Sex-specific factors have key roles and must be taken into consideration in studying occupational factors associated with the risk of obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in body mass index (BMI) in a large cohort representative of Italian workers and, correlating this index with several demographic and occupational variables, to verify sex-and work-dependent differences in the risk of obesity. Methods: We utilized data from INSuLa, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of the Italian worker population conducted in 2013 by the Italian Workers' Compensation Authority to investigate health and safety at work. Analyses were run on a sample of 8000 Italian workers, aged from 16 to 64 years. Logistic regression models were employed to assess gender differences in the relation between occupational characteristics and BMI. We adjusted for age, education, variables related to health protection at work, and chronic conditions and diseases. Results: There were several significant differences in the BMI between males and females, linked to some occupational factors. For instance, female shift workers were 1.32 times (95% CI 1.11-1.57) more likely to be overweight or obese than normal-weight workers, and this association was maintained when controlling for confounders. The likelihood of overweight or obesity among women who worked 1-2 night shifts per week was significantly higher-1.5-1.6 timesthan those on day shifts. Conclusions: Gender-specific differences in occupational factors associated with the risk of obesity are useful with a view to characterizing this risk and helping identify workplace-targeted intervention strategies.

Setting – based prevalence and correlates of central obesity: findings from a cross-sectional study among formal sector employees in Dodoma City, Central Tanzania

“…Furthermore, the current finding demonstrates higher difference in obesity levels between the two genders. A previous study from Italy, has demonstrated that occupational risk factors for obesity differ by sex [17]. However, the current study could not find specific employment related factors to explain this finding therefore authors recommend future scholars to study more on this area.…”

“…At the workplace, obesity has also been associated with symptoms of lower self-esteem, increased individual and employer healthcare costs, increased absenteeism and presenteeism at work and reduced employee productivity [13][14][15]. Employees spend more than 50% of their time at the workplace [16] therefore workplace may play a major role in predisposing people to obesogenic environment including physical inactivity and unhealthy diet [16,17].…”

Association Between Health Literacy and BMI: A Cross-Sectional Study of Suburban Adult Population in Bangladesh

“…In contrast, Kanter and Caballero (2012) found that females bear obesity more because of their frequent consumption of sugar-laden foods than males. This weight difference between sexes can prevail due to disparity in food consumption (Garawi et al, 2014) and occupation (Di Tecco et al, 2020).…”

How Much Does My Work Affect My Health? The Relationships between Working Conditions and Health in an Italian Survey

“…In line with previous research studies [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] ], this study aimed to examine the link between working conditions and worker's health through secondary analyses of the data collected in the first wave of INSULA survey to determine which aspects of the work can have a detrimental effect on workers' health, both in terms of physical and mental diseases.…”