According to a new study published by Social Sciences & Medicine, there may be a link between your skills — and the freedom to use them in your job — and your BMI and waistline. Which begs the question, do you have work-life balance?
Each day we go to work, and with each 8-hour day that passes we utilize our skills and resources to do the tasks placed before us. But, what if you did not get to exercise these skills? What if your boss did not give you the freedom to use these skills day-in and day-out to improve and excel in your position? It would be likely you would not feel fulfilled and content with your position. And, as a result of that your waistline and Body Mass Index (BMI) could start creeping up higher on the scale.
The University of Adelaide studied 450 middle-aged male and females. After taking body measurement of each individual, they conducted a telephonic questionnaire about the participants job. After removing other factors such as income level, gender, type of work and hours worked, they concluded a high demand in a position as well as the effects of the high demand in said job correlated with individuals increasing levels of obesity. PhD candidate and lead author on the study, Christopher Bean, noted that "when looking at the wide system of factors that cause and maintain obesity, work stress is just a small part of a very large and tangled network of interactive factors." He goes on to say "on the other hand, work is a fundamental part of life for many, so it is important to find innovative ways of extending our understanding of how factors at work may be implicated in the development and maintenance of obesity." The study also concluded the higher ranking of a position and increased requirement for decision-making, the higher the waistline of the individual.
Other studies by Central Queensland University and University of South Australia concluded similarly with job freedoms to utilize skills one already has is linked to lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and lower waist size. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity has doubled since 1980 and continues to rise. In 2014, more than 1.9 Billion adults, ages 18 and older, were overweight. Of that number, 600 Million were obese. While many consumers point to eating too much and a more sedentary lifestyle, that is only seen as part of the problem. However, the WHO notes "changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing and education."
Social Science & Medicine's 2014 study suggests the number of hours a mother works has a direct impact on their child's eating habits, exercise and even BMI. The study found the children of mother who worked longer hours than other mothers in the study watched television longer and consumed more unhealthy food items. While the answer is not to have mothers cease working, it does give us an idea on how we can have a healthier work-life balance and its affect not only on us but our families as well.
Job satisfaction plays an important role at the employee level as a determinant of individual well-being. Thus, individual health can also, from a business standpoint, provide key information to not only workers' productivity but with improved job satisfaction can reduce sick leave and likelihood of medical treatment. A study published by The University of Hohenheim-Stockholm concluded with increasing job satisfaction would directly impact the employees health and decrease company expenditures on healthcare-related costs. It directly states "job satisfaction does not only prevent workers from becoming disabled or from developing more sever forms of disability, but there is also some evidence that improvements in job satisfaction over time exert a 'healing' effect."
With increased work-life balance in individuals, it not only creates a more harmonious future for children and show signs of lower risk to obesity, but it also can improve an individuals health. If we look not only to financial gains from employment but also to more mental health as well, we can improve both our physical and mental health for us and future generations.
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