Health Conditions and Long Working Hours in Europe: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Studies have shown that working conditions and employee health are related; therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationships between working long hours per week with health outcomes in different European countries. We analyzed data derived from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. The sample included 12.099 participants aged ≥ 50 from 16 European countries. We analyzed self-reported working hours, health outcomes of blood cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as a longitudinal analysis of health outcomes among healthcare workers and workers in 13 other industries. Statistical analyses identified that men are working longer hours per week compared with women in all included countries, and different levels of increase in health conditions in different industries. We also observed a slower increase in the prevalence of health conditions for healthcare workers compared with workers in other industries, especially diabetes and hypertension. The largest increase in prevalence of observed health conditions was reported for cholesterol, which increased for 17.14% among healthcare workers and for 21.70% in other industries over the observed nine-year period. Although the data point to a potentially high level of awareness in the field of preventive health among healthcare workers, more preventive health activities should be included in workplaces to strengthen employees’ health.