Job-loss and weight gain in British adults: Evidence from two longitudinal studies.

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dc.creatorMonsivais, Pablo
dc.creatorMartin, Adam
dc.creatorSuhrcke, Marc
dc.creatorForouhi, Nita G
dc.creatorWareham, Nicholas J
dc.date2015-09-03T13:02:54Z
dc.date2015-09-03T13:02:54Z
dc.date2015-10
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-03T01:28:05Z
dc.descriptionOverweight and obesity have been associated with unemployment but less is known about changes in weight associated with changes in employment. We examined weight changes associated with job-loss, retirement and maintaining employment in two samples of working adults in the United Kingdom. This was a prospective study of 7201 adults in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study (aged 39-76 years) and 4539 adults in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) who were followed up over 43 months and 26 months, respectively. In both samples, changes in measured (EPIC) and self-reported (BHPS) weight were computed for each participant and assessed in relation to three employment transitions: maintaining paid employment, retirement and job-loss. Regression models adjusted for potential confounders. Further analyses evaluated the contribution of diet, physical activity and smoking to weight gain. In EPIC-Norfolk, weight change differed across the three employment transitions for women but not men. The mean (95% CI) annualised change in weight for women who became unemployed over the follow-up period was 0.70 (0.55, 0.85) kg/y while those who maintained employment gained 0.49 (0.43, 0.55) kg/y (P = 0.007). Accounting for changes in smoking, diet and physical activity did not substantially alter the difference in weight gain among groups. In BHPS, job-loss was associated with weight gain of 1.56 (0.89, 2.23) kg/y, while those who maintained employment 0.60 (0.53, 0.68) kg/y (P < 0.001). In both samples, weight changes associated with retirement were similar to those staying in work. In BHPS, job-loss was also associated with significant declines in self-reported well-being and increases in sleep-loss. Two UK-based samples of working adults reveal strong associations between job-loss and excess weight gain. The mediating behaviours are so far unclear but psychosocial mechanisms and sleep-loss may contribute to the excess weight gain among individuals who become unemployed.
dc.descriptionThis work was undertaken by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research, a UK Clinical Research Collaboration Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, and Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.
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dc.identifierMonsivais et al. Social Science & Medicine (2015) Vol. 143, pp. 223-231. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.052
dc.identifier0277-9536
dc.identifierhttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/250479
dc.identifier1873-5347
dc.identifier.urihttps://repo.dare.co.zw/handle/123456789/154348
dc.languageeng
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.publisherhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.052
dc.rightsAttribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales
dc.rightshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/
dc.subjectDiet
dc.subjectEconomic insecurity
dc.subjectObesity
dc.subjectSleep-loss
dc.subjectSocioeconomic
dc.subjectUnemployment
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectEmployment
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectLongitudinal Studies
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectObesity
dc.subjectRetirement
dc.subjectRisk Factors
dc.subjectUnemployment
dc.subjectUnited Kingdom
dc.subjectWeight Gain
dc.titleJob-loss and weight gain in British adults: Evidence from two longitudinal studies.
dc.typeArticle

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