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How Does Employment Affect Cardiovascular Risk? A Life-Course Approach in the 1958 Cohort
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 Abstract:In post-war Britain, employment was high until the mid 1970s when unemployment began to rise due to the collapse of the manufacturing industry. Subsequently, there have been booms and recessions during the working lives of adults in Britain today, which has resulted in greater job insecurity. In addition, technological change has lead to reorganisation and restructuring of work, for example, through the requirement of computer skills. However, we do not fully appreciate how working patterns affect health in adult life, and whether any effects occur through changes in health behaviours, stress levels, or through other processes. In order to understand the effects of work participation on health, we need to take into account how people arrive in particular paid and unpaid forms of employment and the influences that have shaped their lives up to that point. For example, those who achieve particular educational levels or who are in good health, will be more eligible for particular occupations than others. Moreover, the role of women in the labour market has changed considerably with increased participation and prospects in more recent years. Studies of work and health therefore should take into account life-course social processes. Cardiovascular disease is an important cause of incapacity and premature death and represents a significant societal burden in terms of lost productivity and health costs. In common with most measures of health, individuals from disadvantaged groups are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease than those from more affluent socio-economic groups. There is some evidence that psychosocial aspects of work affect stress levels which are linked to cardiovascular disease, but effects of other aspects of labour market participation, including the type of work undertaken (over the course of an individual’s working life) have largely been overlooked. Data from individuals followed from their birth enable detailed studies of the social processes over the life course that may lead to cardiovascular disease risk in adulthood. The 1958 British birth cohort is an important source of information from a national sample that has been followed over time. Individuals in this study are currently of working age, and, importantly have information from earlier life that enables greater insights into the participation in paid and unpaid employment in explaining cardiovascular disease risk and social inequalities in disease risk. From this knowledge, policies relevant to labour market participation and the organisation of work can be developed that have the potential to reduce the burden of future disease. Department:Institute of Child Health, University College London Duration:1st May 2007 - 31st April 200931-04-09 Grant Type:Research Fellowship PublicationsView research findings [PDF] Stillwell, J., Norman, P., Surridge, P. and Thomas, C. (eds.) (2010)Spatial and Social Disparities. Understanding Population Trends and Processes Volume 2, Springer, Dordrecht. Thomas, C. (2010) Effects of employment on cardiovascular risk, Chapter 8 in Stillwell, J., Norman, P., Surridge, P. and Thomas, C. (eds.) Spatial and Social Disparities. Understanding Population Trends and Processes Volume 2, Springer, Dordrecht. Thomas C, Hertzman C, Power C. (2009) Night-work, long working hours,
job controland cortisol secretion in mid-life: evidence from a British
birth cohort. Occupational Environmental Medicine, advance online
14/06/2009; doi:10.1136/oem.2008.044396 PresentationsThomas, C. (2009) Working characteristics and cardiovascular disease risk: what are the relationships? UPTAP/GROS/Scottish Government Workshop, ‘Understanding Population Trends and Processes’; The Scottish Government, Edinburgh, 12 February. Thomas, C. (2008) Shift work and risk of cardiovascular disease: new evidence from the 1958 British birth cohort. Presentation at the Society for Social Medicine 52nd Annual Meeting, Southampton, 17-19 September. Thomas, C. (2008) Adverse employment experiences and cardiovascular disease risk, MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 4 September 2008. Thomas, C. (2008) Working characteristics and cardiovascular disease: are associations confounded by early life risk factors? Presentation at the Society for Social Medicine 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting.
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