A Research Note on the Relationship Between Long Working Hours and Weight Gain for Older Workers in the United States

Mercan M. A.

RESEARCH ON AGING, vol.36, no.5, pp.557-567, 2014 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 36 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0164027513510324
  • Journal Name: RESEARCH ON AGING
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.557-567
  • Keywords: longitudinal analysis, older worker, work histories, CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE, BODY-MASS INDEX, RISK-FACTOR, MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT, OBESITY PREVALENCE, OVERTIME, STRESS, HEALTH, IMPACT, WOMEN
  • Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Working long hours may be related to obesity in older adults. No studies have focused on older workers and long work hours, although the risk of obesity is high among this population group. This study is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between obesity and the older workforce. Panel data from the Health and Retirement Study are examined using Cox regression techniques. We found that older workers who work more than 59 hr a week are more likely to gain weight than older workers who work less than 59 hr per week.