Employment Status Transition Predicts Adult Obesity Trajectory: Evidence From a Cohort Study in South Korea

To investigate the impact of employment status on health by describing obesity trajectories with employment status transitions.

We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service - National Sample Cohort 2006-2015 data. Employment status transitions were measured using four categories: continuously non-employed, continuously employed, transition into employment, and transition out of employment. The time trends in the likelihood of obesity were examined both before and after employment status transition.

The time trends of the likelihood of obesity showed a significantly increasing trend in the transition into employment group, especially in younger men, and increasing trends of obesity among the transition out of employment group, especially in older female participants.

This study found increase in obesity prevalence of men after transition into employment and of women after transition out of employment.