The effect of long working hours on 10-year risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in the Korean population: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2007 to 2013

Abstract

BackgroundRecently, the emergence of long working hours and the associated conditions such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke have gained attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between long working hours and the 10-year-risk of CHD and stroke, estimated by Jee’s health risk-appraisal model for ischemic heart disease.MethodsWe analyzed data from Koreans who randomly enrolled in Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2012 and finally included 13,799 participants. The participants were classified as per their working hours: 0–30 h/week, 31–39 h/week, 40 h/week, 41–50 h/week, 51–60 h/week, 61–70 h/week, 71–80 h/week, and >80 h/week. The risks for CHD and stroke were determined using Jee’s health risk-appraisal model. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between working hours and 10-year risk for CHD.ResultsThe 10-year risks for CHD and stroke were significantly and positively associated with working hours in both men and women. Furthermore, higher risks for CHD and stroke were associated with longer working hours in women.ConclusionLong working hours are significantly associated with the risks of CHD and stroke, estimated by Jee’s health risk-appraisal model. This study suggests the need for proper management of working hours to reduce CHD risk and stroke risk in the Korean population.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40557-016-0149-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Occupational and leisure-time physical activity differentially predict 6-year incidence of stroke and transient ischemic attack in women

“…Furthermore, OPA is usually performed for longer time periods and with much less recovery time between and after activities than LTPA. All of these factors can result in worker exhaustion and fatigue, which are associated with progression of atherosclerosis (34) and increases in CVD and stroke risk (35)(36)(37).…”

“…The contrasting effects of OPA and LTPA on CVD and mortality may be in part explained by sustained inflammatory responses and prolonged elevation of heart rate and blood pressure, which are associated with OPA but not LTPA (24). Additionally, OPA is structurally different than LTPA because workers typically lack control over activity and recovery time and work tasks; this can result in exhaustion and fatigue, which are associated with progression of atherosclerosis (34) and elevated CVD and stroke risks (35)(36)(37).…”

Association between Occupational Characteristics and Overweight and Obesity among Working Korean Women: The 2010–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…According to Jang et al, the likelihood of obesity increased by 1.65 times among Korean male manual workers working ≥60 h per week, but not significantly among females [20]. As shown above, working for extended hours negatively affects health in various ways [21][22][23][24]. Korea, however, ranks second among the OECD countries in total working hours, with mean annual hours worked of 1993, which is 259 h higher than the OECD average of 1734 h [25].…”

The Change of Self-Rated Health According to Working Hours for Two Years by Gender

“…Previous studies reported on the negative effects of working hours on health, but there are inconsistencies in the results. In South Korea, long working hours are associated with cardiovascular disease [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], suicidal ideation [ 5 ], depressive symptoms [ 6 , 7 ], and self-rated health [ 8 , 9 ]. Other countries confirmed that working hours correlated with deterioration of health status, including cardiovascular disease [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], diabetes [ 13 ], health behavior [ 14 ], depressive symptoms [ 15 ], and self-rated health [ 16 , 17 ].…”