Feb. 19--Those extra hours you're clocking in at the office could make your partner fat, according to a study from the University of Illinois.
The weight creeps on when an individual's spouse or the spouse's work hours leaves the family with less time to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as exercise, eating the right foods and sleeping, according to the study.
The study's authors specifically looked at how work and family demands affect an individual's body mass index. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.
The paper also looked at whether flexibility in work arrangements improved the situation. They don't, the study found. That's because reducing BMI requires behavioral change -- such as exercising and sleeping more.
The researchers found evidence that the long-term physical health of individuals, as estimated by a change in BMI, is negatively affected by an increase in work hours and the birth of each additional child for dual-income families. This occurs despite the fact that BMI is primarily affected by the passage of time, the researchers pointed out. In other words, as people age, their BMI increases.
The study, which will be published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, was co-written by University of Illinois graduate student WonJoon Chung and labor and employment relations professor Amit Kramer.
Kramer said that despite the study's findings, he's not suggesting that employers stop encouraging their workers to work out, eat better, and get some rest.
"Other research shows that true flexible work arrangements -- ones that give the worker autonomy and flexibility on when, where and how to do the job -- have been shown to improve employee well-being as well as business outcomes," Kramer said. "It's possible that flexible work arrangements are directly affecting other health-related outcomes that may provide employees with more opportunities for nonwork time. That alone can reduce stress and be used to renew one's energy level."
Researchers used a nationally representative sample of more than 4,200 individuals who were part of dual-earning households from 1994 to 2010.
crshropshire@tribune.com
