Harvard University study links workforce flexibility to lower heart disease risk
A study by New England Council member, Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Pennsylvania State University, found that increased control over time and tasks has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease for employees.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, involved training supervisors to conduct employee interventions to increase their work-life balance. Researchers then randomly assigned these interventions to an IT company with 555 participating employees and a long-term care company with 973 participating employees. Researchers then monitored the blood pressure, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, smoking status, and cholesterol for twelve months to calculate a “cardiometabolic risk score” (CRS). While no significant overall effects could be determined, the study found that higher-risk employees experienced a reduction in heart disease risk by 5.5 – 10.3 years. Notably, employees over 45 with higher baseline CRS were more likely to see a reduction than younger employees.
“The study illustrates how working conditions are important social determinants of health,” said co-lead author Lisa Berkman, professor of public policy and epidemiology at Harvard and director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. “These findings could be particularly consequential for low- and middle-wage workers who traditionally have less control over their schedules and job demands and are subject to greater health inequities.”
The New England Council commends Harvard University and the T.H. School of Public Health for their efforts in reducing heart disease risk.
Read more in the Harvard Gazette.