Work hours, weight status, and weight-related behaviors: a study of metro transit workers

Abstract

BackgroundAssociations between hours worked per week and Body Mass Index (BMI), food intake, physical activity, and perceptions of eating healthy at work were examined in a sample of transit workers.MethodsSurvey data were collected from 1086 transit workers. Participants reported hours worked per week, food choices, leisure-time physical activity and perceptions of the work environment with regard to healthy eating. Height and weight were measured for each participant. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between work hours and behavioral variables. Associations were examined in the full sample and stratified by gender.ResultsTransit workers working in the highest work hour categories had higher BMI and poorer dietary habits, with results differing by gender. Working 50 or more hours per week was associated with higher BMI among men but not women. Additionally, working 50 or more hours per week was significantly associated with higher frequency of accessing cold beverage, cold food, and snack vending machines among men. Working 40 or more hours per week was associated with higher frequency of accessing cold food vending machines among women. Reported frequency of fruit and vegetable intake was highest among women working 50 or more hours per week. Intake of sweets, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast food did not vary with work hours in men or women. Physical activity and perception of ease of eating healthy at work were not associated with work hours in men or women.ConclusionsLong work hours were associated with more frequent use of garage vending machines and higher BMI in transit workers, with associations found primarily among men. Long work hours may increase dependence upon food availability at the worksite, which highlights the importance of availability of healthy food choices.

Comparison of body mass index with waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat in firefighters: adiposity classification and associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors

“…Although body mass index (BMI) has been the most widely used adiposity measure at wellness and fitness (WEFIT) programs for firefighters across the nation (Clark et al 2002;Donovan et al 2009;Soteriades et al 2005;Tsismenakis et al 2009) as for other occupational groups (Alasagheirin et al 2011;Caban et al 2005;Escoto et al 2010;Sieber et al 2014), there has been a strong skepticism as to whether BMI is a valid measure for adiposity among firefighters (Choi et al 2011;Haddock et al 2011;Jitnarin et al 2013;Poston et al 2011) because of selfselection into the occupation and the possibility of building musculature through on-the-job physical training. Two assumptions underlying firefighter skepticism are: (1) BMI may overestimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among firefighters because of its intrinsic inability to differentiate fat body mass and lean body mass and (2) other anthropometric adiposity measures such as waist circumference and skinfold-based percent body fat may be more strongly associated with biological CVD risk factors among firefighters than BMI (Choi et al 2011).…”

Measuring job quality: A study with bus drivers

“…Stansfeld and Candy, 2006;Kivimäki et al, 2012) and low levels of control are a common feature of work in transport (Jettinghoff and Houtman, 2009 Similarly, there are some interesting contradictions in the findings regarding working hours. This has been recognised as a challenge in the industry (Escoto et al, 2010;Johansson et al, 2012;Machin and Hoare, 2008), yet within the current study hours was one of the highest scoring dimensions, with a score of 74.6. There are a number of explanations for this apparent anomaly, including the possibility that the questions about hours which are included in the DGB-Index relate to issues around their planning rather than the reality of working irregular and unsociable hours (Prümper and Richenhagen, 2009).…”

Effect of Obesity on the Work Health-Related Behaviors and Quality of Life of South African Mining Employees: A Pilot Study

“…In this regard researchers indicate that employees' working conditions contribute to the above unhealthy behaviours (Miranda, Gore, Boyer, Nobrega, & Punnett, 2015). For example, obesity has been linked with night work, long working hours, sedentary work, psychosocial job strain, and job insecurity (Taylor et al, 2013;Miranda et al, 2015;Quist, Christensen, Christensen, Aust, Borg, & Bjorner, 2013;Escoto, French, Harnack, Toomey, Hannan, & Mitchell, 2010). Nonetheless, the literature is inconsistent on any of these putative associations.…”