Work and non-work stressors, psychological distress and obesity: evidence from a 14-year study on Canadian workers

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the contribution of work, non-work and individual factors to obesity with regard to gender-related differences, and to clarify the mediating role that psychological distress plays in these dynamics in Canada from 1994 to 2008 using the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS).DesignLongitudinal.SettingsThe NPHS is a randomised longitudinal cohort study with biennial interviews of the Canadian adult population from 18 to 64.Participants5925 non-obese workers in cycle 1 (49% were women).MeasurementsObesity was measured using the body mass index (BMI), with a threshold of BMI >30 kg/m2. BMI was corrected in accordance with the recommendations of Connor Gorber et al to adjust for gender bias in responses.ResultsOf the work characteristics evaluated, only decision authority was associated with obesity for women but not for men. Living as a couple, child-related strains, psychotropic drug use, hypertension, being physically inactive and low psychological distress were obesity risk factors but were not moderated by gender. Overall, psychological distress did not mediate the associations that work factors have on obesity.ConclusionsOur study suggests that men and women differ little in the extent to which work, non-work and individual factors predict obesity. However, for women, the level of decision authority is associated with a lower obesity risk. In addition, psychological distress did not mediate the contribution of work factors and actually seems, contrary to expectations, to decrease the obesity risk when work, non-work and individual factors are taken into account.

Patterns of Eating and Physical Activity Attitudes and Behaviors in Relation to Body Mass Index

“…A closer look showed that all the values were higher in the unhealthy segment. Those results were similar to the research of Marchand, Beauregard and Blanc (2015), which supports that psychological distress is a risk for obesity. Brandheim, Rantakeisu, and Starrin (2013) studied the association between psychological distress and BMI in a sample of 68,000 Swedish adults.…”

Body mass index trajectories among the Canadian workforce and their association with work environment trajectories over 17 years

“…Our study suggests that lower decision authority and decreasing physical exertion at work were associated with belonging to overweight and obese BMI trajectories. Previous research has suggested that individuals in jobs with high decision authority makes workers more active at work, or that these jobs are held by individuals with high socioeconomic status, which is associated with lower BMI 32. A previous study by Choi and colleagues (2010) found that low physical activity at work was a significant predictor of obesity, even while adjusting for low physical activity and overeating outside of work 33…”

Changes in job strain and subsequent weight gain: a longitudinal study, based on the Danish Nurse Cohort

“…However, caution should still be taken in generalizing the results to other social classes. The purely female study population restricts us from drawing conclusions about influences of preceding change in job strain and subsequent weight development among males, as some previous studies have documented gender differences in the association between job strain and obesity ( 11 , 23 ) .…”