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Do obesity and sleep problems cluster in the workplace? A multivariate, multilevel study
Tuula Oksanen1, Ichiro Kawachi, S V Subramanian
1Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Lemminkäisenkatu 14-18 B, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland. tuula.oksanen@ttl.fi.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
|November 23, 2012
Summary
Obesity and sleep problems are linked in employees, with both issues clustering in the same workplaces. Identifying "risky" workplaces can aid interventions for employee health.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Obesity and sleep problems are prevalent public health issues.
- Understanding their co-occurrence in the workplace is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity and sleep problems at both individual and workplace levels.
- To identify workplace characteristics that may influence the co-occurrence of these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Finnish Public Sector Study (39,873 employees, 3040 workplaces, 2000-2002).
- Employed a multivariate, multilevel approach to model obesity and sleep problems simultaneously.
- Adjusted for individual and workplace-level confounders.
Main Results:
- 11% of participants were obese, and 23% reported sleep problems.
- A significant correlation between obesity and sleep problems was found at the workplace level, persisting after confounder adjustment.
- Individual-level correlation was weaker and not significant after adjustments.
Conclusions:
- Obese employees and those with sleep problems tend to be concentrated in specific workplaces.
- Interventions should consider identifying and addressing "risky" workplaces to reduce obesity and sleep problems effectively.
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