Weekly work hours and health-related behaviours in full-time students

This article examines associations between the number of hours of paid work and smoking, alcohol use, episodic heavy drinking and leisure-time physical activity among full-time students aged 15 to 17.

Analyses are based on data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 1994/95 to 2002/03 National Population Health Survey.

Selected characteristics and health-related behaviours of working and non-working students were compared. Logistic regression was used to examine relationships between average weekly hours at the main job and health-related behaviours, as well as maintenance of and changes in these behaviours, while controlling for possible confounders.

Students who worked even a modest number of hours per week had higher odds of drinking alcohol regularly, and occasionally heavily, compared with those who had not worked. Students working any number of hours had higher odds of becoming regular drinkers within two years of their baseline interview. Longer working hours were associated with higher odds of smoking. Employed students had higher odds of being physically active in their leisure time. The influences of age, household income and urban/rural residence were taken into account.