A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Long working hours and risk of 50 health conditions and mortality outcomes: a multicohort study in four European countries
Authors: Ervasti Jenni, Pentti Jaana, Nyberg Solja T, Shipley Martin J, Leineweber Constanze, Sørensen Jeppe K, Alfredsson Lars, Bjorner Jakob B, Borritz Marianne, Burr Hermann, Knutsson Anders, Madsen Ida EH, Hanson Linda LM, Oksanen Tuula, Pejtersen Jan H, Rugulies Reiner, Suominen Sakari, Theorell Töres, Westerlund Hugo, Vahtera Jussi, Virtanen Marianne, Batty G. David, Kivimäki Mika
Publisher: ELSEVIER
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Lancet regional health - Europe
Journal name in source: LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE
Journal acronym: LANCET REG HEALTH-EU
Article number: ARTN 100212
Volume: 11
Number of pages: 11
ISSN: 2666-7762
eISSN: 2666-7762
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100212
Web address : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666776221001897?via%3Dihub
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/68364953
Background
Studies on the association between long working hours and health have captured only a narrow range of outcomes (mainly cardiometabolic diseases and depression) and no outcome-wide studies on this topic are available. To achieve wider scope of potential harm, we examined long working hours as a risk factor for a wide range of disease and mortality endpoints.
Methods
The data of this multicohort study were from two population cohorts from Finland (primary analysis, n=59 599) and nine cohorts (replication analysis, n=44 262) from Sweden, Denmark, and the UK, all part of the Individual-participant Meta-analysis in Working Populations (IPD-Work) consortium. Baseline assessed long working hours (>55 hours per week) were compared to standard working hours (35-40 h). Outcome measures with follow-up until age 65 years were 46 diseases that required hospital treatment or continuous pharmacotherapy, all-cause, and three cause-specific mortality endpoints, ascertained via linkage to national health and mortality registers.
Findings
2747 (4.6%) participants in the primary cohorts and 3027 (6.8%) in the replication cohorts worked long hours. After adjustment for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, working long hours was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death (hazard ratio 1.68; 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.61 in primary analysis and 1.52; 0.90-2.58 in replication analysis), infections (1.37; 1.13-1.67 and 1.45; 1.13-1.87), diabetes (1.18; 1.01-1.38 and 1.41; 0.98-2.02), injuries (1.22; 1.00-1.50 and 1.18; 0.98-1.18) and musculoskeletal disorders (1.15; 1.06-1.26 and 1.13; 1.00-1.27). Working long hours was not associated with all-cause mortality.
Interpretation
Follow-up of 50 health outcomes in four European countries suggests that working long hours is associated with an elevated risk of early cardiovascular death and hospital-treated infections before age 65. Associations, albeit weak, were also observed with diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. In these data working long hours was not related to elevated overall mortality.
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