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A growing share of the workforce is putting in long hours on the job (see Working hours). Whether long hours adversely affect health has been debated for decades. However, policy makers considering the regulation of working hours have had difficulty making decisions based on scientific research (Harrington, 1994).
In Japan, where long working hours are common, a growing number of workers have been dying from cardiovascular causes in their most productive years. Studies based on workers' compensation claims have found that many of the victims had been putting in long hours before they died (Uehata, 1991; Nishiyama and Johnson, 1997). The Japanese have named such deaths Karoshi, meaning "death from overwork."
Japanese researchers have proposed a Karoshi model to examine the relationship between long hours and cardiovascular disease (Uehata, 1991). It is hypothesized that long hours bring about unhealthful lifestyle changes such as smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of physical activity, sleeplessness, poor eating habits, and fewer chances for medical examinations. Prolonged periods of working long hours may increase anxiety, strain and irritability. Over time, people can become fatigued and develop a propensity to obesity. The cumulative effect may be cardiovascular disease.
Using longitudinal data from the first two cycles of the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) (1994-95 and 1996-97), this article examines Canadian workers aged 25 to 54 who worked at least 35 hours a week in 1994-95. People in this age range are the most likely to feel stress from the "time-crunch," as they juggle work, family and personal responsibilities (Frederick, 1995).
The data are analyzed in the context of the early phases of the Karoshi model to determine whether long hours (41 or more a week) are associated with depression and with changes in health behaviours. Four indicators--weight, smoking, drinking, and physical activity--are used to investigate whether moving from standard to long hours is related to unhealthful life-style changes (see Data source and limitations).
Working hours and health
Surprisingly few studies have examined associations between working hours and health status and behaviours. Although the effects of shift work have been studied extensively, it is rare for research to focus on the quantity of hours (Spurgeon, Harrington and Cooper, 1997). Nonetheless, sufficient evidence exists to raise concerns about the health and safety risks...