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Work stress, weight gain and weight loss: evidence for bidirectional effects of job strain on body mass index in the Whitehall II study.
Abstract
Objective Previous research has focused on overall associations between work stress and body mass index (BMI) ignoring the possibility that stress may cause some people to eat less and lose weight and others to eat more. Using longitudinal data, we studied whether work stress induced weight loss in lean individuals and weight gain in overweight individuals.Design Prospective cohort study.Subjects A total of 7965 British civil servants (5547 men and 2418 women) aged 35-55 at study entry (The Whitehall II study).Measurements Work stress, indicated by the job strain model and measured as job control, job demands and job strain, was assessed at baseline and BMI at baseline and at 5-year follow-up.Results In men, the effect of job strain on weight gain and weight loss was dependent on baseline BMI (P</=0.03). In the leanest quintile (BMI<22 kg/m(2)) at baseline, high job strain and low job control were associated with weight loss by follow-up, whereas among those in the highest BMI quintile (>27 kg/m(2)), these stress indicators were associated with subsequent weight gain. No corresponding interaction was seen among women.Conclusion Inconsistent findings reported by previous studies of stress and BMI have generally been interpreted to indicate the absence of an association. In light of our results, the possibility of differential effects of work stress should also be taken into account.
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“Moreover, job stress has been associated with mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, and somatization (Godin et al., 2005; Mark and Smith, 2012), as well as physical health effects such as increased disease risk, weight gain, and poor sleep (Bosma et al., 1998; Kivimäki et al., 2006; Knudsen et al., 2007).”
From Mental and physical training with meditation and aerobic exercise improved mental health and well-being in teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Kivimäki et al., 2006
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Metadata
- Authors
- Kivimäki, M., Head, J., Ferrie, J. E., Shipley, M. J., Brunner, E., Vahtera, J., & Marmot, M. G.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Venue
- International Journal of Obesity
- Published
- 2006-01-17
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 982-987
- ISSN
- 0307-0565 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-5497
- OpenAlex
- W2054577595
- Cited by
- 341
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 30.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- International Journal of Obesity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- British Heart Foundation
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS06516)
- National Institute on Aging (AG 13196)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL36310, R01HL036310)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Keywords
- occupational stress, job strain, body mass index, weight gain, weight loss, job control, job demands, bidirectional effects, baseline BMI, public sector employees, sex differences
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Chronic Disease, Epidemiologic Methods, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases, Stress, Psychological, Thinness, Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Body Mass Index, Overweight
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