#0118 The combined effect of long working hours and individual risk factors on cardiovascular disease: An interaction analysis
Sick and Tired: How Are Long Working Hours and Cardiovascular Diseases Related?
By now, it is no mystery that long working hours have negative effects on health; some examples include depression, sleep problems, and unhealthy behaviors. Studies have even linked long working hours with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, CVDs are also known to be linked to other risk factors, such as chronic diseases and unhealthy habits.
Interestingly, the abovementioned risk factors are also more common among people with long working hours. While it is quite possible that these risk factors have a mediating effect between long working hours and CVDs, there is not enough evidence to support such claims. Because of this, CVDs are usually not recognized as being work-related in worker’s compensation claims if any of these individual risk factors are present, even if the person did work long hours.
To shed light on this issue, we conducted a study to explore the combined effect of long working hours and risk factors and evaluate their potential interactions with CVDs. Specifically, we examined whether the effect of long working hours on the risk of developing CVDs is mediated by individual risk factors.
We employed data from the Korea Health Panel Survey, a large-scale survey conducted annually that properly represents the Korean population. After filtering, data from 7303 participants over a period of seven years from 2009 to 2016 were included in our analyses. We checked for various chronic disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, as well as lifestyle-related behaviors, such as drinking, smoking, and exercise levels. After adjusting for variables such as age, gender, and household income, we used statistical models to evaluate the risk of developing CVD when working long hours (above 52 h a week) in relation to chronic diseases and unhealthy habits.
Our results ultimately showed that there is a synergistic negative effect between long working hours and chronic diseases, especially among men. For example, obese men who worked over 52 h per week had almost twice the risk of developing CVDs compared with obese men who did not work long hours.
This is the first study to investigate the combined effect of long working hours and other risk factors on the risk of CVDs. We revealed that it is especially important to prevent long working hours among workers with chronic diseases. Further studies shall help us clarify the relationship that exists between long working hours and CVDs to prevent avoidable complications and deaths.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1348-9585.12204
Title of the paper:
The combined effect of long working hours and individual risk factors on cardiovascular disease: An interaction analysis
Authors:
Wanhyung Lee, Jongin Lee, Hyoung-Ryoul Kim, Yu Min Lee, Dong-Wook Lee, Mo-Yeol Kang
