The Relationship between Obesity and Occupations among the U.S. Population Based on Occupational Tasks
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: American society could be considered an "obesogenic society" due to the continuous growth of obesity prevalence among the population.Obesity can decrease the life span and is associated with a variety of medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal diseases.The obesity issue has become common and costly across the country.In 2010, every state in the United States of America had an obesity prevalence of at least 20%.Biological, genetic, behavioral and environmental factors may all influence obesity prevalence.Overweight and obesity rates are commonly based on "body mass index" (BMI).Obesogenic jobs are defined as jobs with characteristics that contribute to increased obesity prevalence among employees.These job characteristics may include pressures and demands and overall stress, work environment, food availability, inactivity, or low physical activity levels, and occupational hazards.In addition, socio-economic differences, which are partially based on pay levels, could contribute to obesity.This exploratory study used national data sets on occupations and mean hourly wage available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.The occupational tasks data was gathered from the O*NET resource center.Statistical analysis was performed to test the association between occupational tasks and obesity prevalence.Positive associations were found for several tasks that involved physical activity as well as a few tasks related to managerial duties (Table 9).Three factors were derived from factor analysis: physical demands, substantive complexity ("job control") and work with people vs. things.Out of the three factors, only the physical demands factor was significantly associated with obesity prevalence.Further research is necessary to confirm and expand the findings of ix this project.Based on these findings, worksite interventions may be helpful in addressing the obesity epidemic in American society.Modifying occupational tasks, providing appropriate training as well as improving work environment and promoting healthy behaviors through education and incentives could be a good start to decreasing the obesity rate across occupational groups.
Author: Luz D Flaherty
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2126415002