Study Connects Workplace Turmoil, Stress and Obesity
ScienceDaily (Mar. 25, 2010) — A new study that provides a snapshot of a typical American workplace observed that chronic job stress and lack of physical activity are strongly associated with being overweight or obese.
Unexpectedly, researchers also found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables did little to offset the effect of chronic job stress on weight gain among the employees, who were mostly sedentary. Instead, exercise seemed to be the key to managing stress and keeping a healthy weight.
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers conducted the study of 2,782 employees at a large manufacturing facility in upstate New York, but the results could be applicable to almost any job situation in which layoffs, or lack of control at work, is a major concern.
The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published the research in January 2010. Lead author Diana Fernandez, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the URMC Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, said her study is among many that associate high job pressure with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, depression, exhaustion, anxiety and weight gain.
It's time to improve corporate policies that better protect the health of workers, she said. "In a poor economy, companies should take care of the people who survive layoffs and end up staying in stressful jobs," Fernandez said. "It is important to focus on strengthening wellness programs to provide good nutrition, ways to deal with job demands, and more opportunities for physical activity that are built into the regular workday without penalty."
Over and over, Fernandez's team heard the same story from the upstate workers: After spending the day sitting in stressful meetings
or at their computers, they looked forward to going home and "vegging out" in front of the TV. Anecdotally, researchers also discovered that when pink slips were circulating, the snacks highest in fats and calories would disappear quickest from the vending machines.
Some workers said they did not take the time to eat well or exercise at lunch because they were fearful of repercussions from leaving their desks for too long.
Approximately 32 percent of adult men and 35 percent of adult women are obese in this country. When the prevalence of overweight and obesity are combined, 68 percent of adults fit the category (72 percent prevalence among men; 64 percent among women), according to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The upstate New York workplace mirrored the national statistics. Researchers collected baseline data from the nearly 2,800 employees, using body mass index (BMI) as the measurement for weight status. Overweight/obesity was defined as BMI greater than 24.9, and healthy/underweight was defined as less than 24.9.
They found that 72 to 75 percent of the employees were overweight or obese. Most of the study volunteers were middle-aged, white, married, highly educated (college degree or more), relatively well-paid (earning more than $60,000 a year), with an average of almost 22 years at the company.
Another important statistic: More than 65 percent of the employees said they watched two or more hours of television per day. Among those who reported watching two to three hours, 77 percent were more likely to be overweight or obese, and those who watched four or more hours of TV a day increased their odds of obesity by 150 percent, compared to people who watched less than two hours of daily TV.
"We are not sure why TV is so closely associated with being overweight in our sample group of people," Fernandez said. "Other studies have shown that adults tend to eat more fatty foods while watching TV. But this requires more investigation."
The study dates back to 2005, amid growing concern of an obesity epidemic, when Fernandez was awarded a $3 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to investigate ways to influence people's dietary and physical activity at work. The company that agreed to participate was involved in drastic restructuring and layoffs. In interviews the employees confided to researchers that they were "stress eating" and burned out from "doing the work of five people," researchers reported.
Stressful working conditions are known to impact health behaviors directly and indirectly. Directly, stress can affect the neuroendocrine system, resulting in abdominal fat, for example, or it may cause a decrease in sex hormones, which often leads to weight gain. Indirectly stress is linked to the consumptions of too many fatty or sugary foods and inactivity.
The research team measured psychosocial work conditions through a detailed job questionnaire. Interventions were planned and employees who worked at intervention worksites participated in a comprehensive, two-year nutrition and exercise program. This included walking routes at work, portion control in food, and stress-reduction workshops. The data comparing control groups and the groups who took part in the nutrition and exercise program is still being analyzed, Fernandez said.
However, while analyzing baseline data investigators discovered that employees working in the most high-job-strain conditions had almost one BMI unit more of weight than people who worked in more passive areas. Researchers did not find that chronic stressors (general dissatisfaction at work) and acute stressors (being a layoff survivor, or having entire operations decommissioned) together had a larger effect on weight than when examined independently.
Diet was evaluated solely by the number of servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and probably had no influence on weight status because assessing diet in this way might not be a good measurement of quality or quantity, Fernandez said. A better way to look at diet quality might be through an evaluation of the whole diet.
In conclusion, the study suggests that workplace wellness programs should not only offer ideas on how to be healthy, but should examine the organizational structure and provide ways to minimize a stressful environment for everyone.
5 Tips For Preventing Stress After Retirement*
Staying healthy, maintaining social support, keeping spiritual life and finances in order, and developing a daily routine can help prevent stress after retirement.
Many people think retirement sounds like a great idea - no job, lots of leisure time, and freedom to do just what you want when you want. After retiring, however, many find that getting out of the rat race isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. While it may be true that some retirees have a lot of extra leisure time, there are many problems inherent in retirement and older age that can cause stress. Thinking about and planning for retirement before actually retiring can help ease the recently retired into a new, enjoyable lifestyle and can prevent the frustration and worry of retirement problems. Follow these 5 tips for preventing stress after retirement.
1 STAY HEALTHY
A major cause of stress for retirees is poor health. Health issues, of course, usually become more frequent as one ages, but working on preventable health problems at a younger age is very important if one is to enjoy retirement. For instance, protecting joints while playing sports at a younger age could allow a retiree to stay active much longer;,eating more vegetables and maintaining a healthy weight could prevent health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, and not smoking could prevent lung cancer or high blood pressure. It’s probable that most reasonably healthy people in their twenties or thirties don’t really think that much about old age health problems, but prevention at a younger age can later make a retiree feel much less stressed.
After retirement, facing many health problems can be quite stressful. Avoiding consumption of sugar, caffeine, excessive alcohol, fried foods, and other things that aggravate existing problems is often hard and frustrating. Maintaining a healthy weight becomes difficult if joints ache and movement is restricted. Visiting the doctor becomes a routine, and depression can easily arise if no solution to the problems of aging is seen. However, following medical advice and taking prescribed medications, enlisting the help of a spouse or friend to plan healthy meals and exercise together, joining support groups, and helping others with greater problems all can assist in gaining a better attitude about poor health. Many health problems of old age can be bettered or even reversed by exercise, a good diet, and social support, thus preventing stress from interfering with the healing process.
2. SOCIAL SUPPORT
Many retirees move to another area after retiring, leaving long time friends behind. It is very important for retirees to make new friends, keep in touch with family members, and join in community activities. Being a part of a group is essential to remain in good spirits and ease stress. Talking is a great way to relieve stress and work through problems, and socializing while playing cards, doing water exercise, or eating lunch is a good way to do this. At any age, knowing that someone else cares helps people feel better about themselves. Many communities have senior citizen centers where retirees can get involved in different types of activities. Some have exercise classes, drama groups, travel clubs, lessons of all kinds, and meals; some match retirees with children for tutoring or mentoring. Becoming involved in the lives of others is good medicine and helps to relieve stress.
3. SPIRITUAL
Getting in tune with the inner self is a good stress reliever for retirees. Attending religious services or studying religious thought, practicing meditation or yoga, and journal writing are all good ways to develop a more positive inner life and lighten stress. Keeping a “gratitude journal” can put emphasis on constructive thoughts if a retiree is feeling depressed or lonely. In facing stressful situations, such as death of a spouse, serious illness, or financial difficulties, writing down thoughts can help one to work through hard times. Having members of a religious congregation visit, provide spiritual guidance, and help with physical needs of the retiree can be a great comfort in stressful times. Developing spirituality often goes hand-in-hand with social support, as members of a religious group work together to help each other.
4. FINANCES
Ideally, everyone would have enough money on which to retire and be able to lead a happy, productive life after retirement. Many retirees dream of traveling the world, engaging in hobbies they never had time for previously, or helping out grandchildren, but retiring without a nest egg sometimes makes those dreams impossible. Preparing for retirement should begin as soon as possible; waiting until one begins to think of retiring is often too late to accumulate much in the way of savings. Not having enough money to live on will certainly cause stress for the retiree.
Even those who didn’t save much before retiring can prevent stress by living within a budget. People can live on small amounts of income by living simply and learning about resources in their communities. There are many free activities in most communities, and joining groups can help retirees to share resources with others in the same position. It is possible to have fun and enjoy life on just about any income; stress usually comes from wanting more than one has or spending more than one has--the results cause stress and unhappiness. Facing reality and learning to live peacefully on what one has can prevent the stress that comes with not having enough money.
5.DEVELOP A DAILY ROUTINE
Retiring means no longer working, but some retirees are busier than ever before. Finding enough time to pursue long held interests, such as gardening, golf, building, collecting, or traveling, excites many retirees, who engage in frenzied activities soon after retiring. Some retirees find that finally settling down to a daily routine prevents the stress of constant activity. Although some people will always prefer spontaneity, developing established schedules helps ease the stress of not knowing what comes next. Learning to say no to demands that cause anxiety, such as babysitting grandchildren, loaning money, and any excessive demands on time, can let the retiree stay on schedule. If the retiree is a caregiver for a parent or spouse, especially one with Alzheimer’s disease, following a daily routine can be a big step in preventing stress. As retirees become elderly, following a schedule can help them to remain in their own homes longer.
*http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/tipsforpreve_sizs.htm
Photo: impactfactory.com
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