American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on January 22, 2007
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 165(7):828-837; doi:10.1093/aje/kwk058
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ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS |
Prospective Effect of Job Strain on General and Central Obesity in the Whitehall II Study
From the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, London, England
Correspondence to Dr. Eric J. Brunner, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, England (e-mail: e.brunner{at}ucl.ac.uk).
Received for publication March 2, 2006. Accepted for publication August 31, 2006.
Positive energy balance is the major cause of obesity, and chronic stress may be a contributory factor. The authors examined cumulative work stress, using the Job Strain Questionnaire on four occasions, as a predictor of obesity in a prospective 19-year study of 6,895 men and 3,413 women (aged 35–55 years) in the Whitehall II cohort in London, United Kingdom (baseline: 1985–1988). A dose-response relation was found between work stress and risk of general obesity (body mass index 
30 kg/m2) and central obesity (waist circumference >102 cm in men, >88 cm in women) that was largely independent of covariates. The imputed odds ratios of body mass index obesity for one, two, and three or more reports of work stress adjusted for age, sex, and social position were 1.17, 1.24, and 1.73 (trend p < 0.01), respectively. For waist obesity, the corresponding findings were 1.17, 1.41, and 1.61 (trend p < 0.01). Work stress effect was modestly attenuated after exclusion of obese individuals at baseline and further adjustments for smoking; intakes of dietary fiber, fruits and vegetables, and alcohol; and levels of physical activity during follow-up. This study provides prospective, population-based evidence that chronic work stress predicts general and central obesity.
body mass index; employment; obesity; prospective studies; stress
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; MET, metabolic equivalent
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