Please note: this is an old article
It was published in August 2012, so the information may be out-of-date.
A recent Australian study into women’s health has found that middle aged women who regularly work long hours were more likely to put on weight, increasing their overall risk for developing heart disease, Type II diabetes and other serious lifestyle related health problems.
The research, led by Nicole Au from the Centre for Health and Economics at Monash University, analysed more than 9,000 women aged 45-50 over a two year period. The results, published in the International Journal of Obesity, showed that 55 per cent of the women who worked long and excessive hours put on weight, with the average woman gaining 1.5 per cent of initial body mass.
Among employed women, working regular (35 to 40), long (41 to 48) or very long (49+) hours was associated with increasingly higher levels of weight gain compared with working part-time hours.
Some women were reported to have put on ‘extreme' amounts of weight during the two years and in addition, women burning the midnight oil were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol.
American researchers have previously found similar results for men, with overtime associated with poorer perceived general health, increased injury rates, more illnesses, or increased mortality.
Nicole Au attributed the results to women working overtime having less time to look after their own health and fitness levels. "This study highlights the increasing number of women entering the workforce and the effects on their ability to maintain a healthy weight. Longer work hours may reduce the time spent preparing home cooked meals, exercising and sleeping which are all risk factors for obesity," she said.
The study shows that for too many Australian women, the work-life balance scales have tipped too far into the red zone. People may be working harder and longer, but not necessarily smarter. It is no longer acceptable to ‘know what needs to be done,' whilst doing nothing about it.
Type II diabetes is Australia's fastest growing chronic disease, while every 11 minutes one Australian dies from heart disease. As we know, these diseases are preventable through healthy lifestyle changes. While occasional overtime shifts are obviously necessary, working overtime continuously is not healthy or smart. As a nation, we need to nurture workplace culture toward making health and wellbeing a significant priority within every industry.
Australians spend one third of our lives at work, and according to the World Health Organisation, this is the hot spot for targeting health promotion and disease prevention. The free WorkHealth check program within Victoria has been pivotal toward achieving a greater focus on health within the workplace for the benefit of workers, employers and the wider community.
Following on from the free health checks, the WorkHealth grants program offers funding to help implement health and wellbeing programs within the workplace, with the long term proviso of developing a health and wellbeing policy for the organisation. In conclusion of her study, Nicole Au adds that workplace policies that support women who work long hours to restore work life balance should be encouraged.
For more information on free WorkHealth checks for your team, or the new WorkHealth grants initiative, please contact Katie Chancellor, VECCI WorkHealth Coordinator on 03 8662 5326 or kchancellor@vecci.org.au