Studies look at link between stress and poor health choices

Two studies, one published online in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research and one published in the journal of Social Science and Medicine, highlighted the negative impact workplace and financial stress can have on health behaviors, according to a press release.

The studies were from the Indiana University School of Public Health.

“There’s growing evidence that work-family conflict is related to a range of negative health behaviors, and it’s something for workplace wellness programs to take into consideration when they’re trying to get employees to engage in healthier behaviors, whether it’s physical activity, nutrition or quitting smoking,” said Jon Macy, lead author of both studies and assistant professor in the Department of Applied Health Science, in the release.

The first study, “The association between work-family conflict and smoking quantity among daily smokers,” found that men and women who were daily smokers reported that their smoking increased when conflict from work affected their home life.

The study found that women also reported the inverse, that smoking increased when home conflict affected their work, according to the release. The study involved 423 Midwesterners who smoked daily.

“Wellness programs are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace,” Macy said. “If a program is going to deal with smoking, given how difficult it is for people to quit, it might be more successful by looking at some of the underlying issues. Our findings suggest that work-home conflict is one area that should be looked at and addressed in cessation counseling.”

The second study, “Predictors of health behaviors after the economic downturn: a longitudinal study,” focused on health behaviors practiced by nearly 4,000 men and women before and after the recession began in 2008, according to the release.

The study found that health behaviors including exercise and attention to nutrition generally improved as the recession set in.

Improvement was not noted in study participants who reported financial struggles.
It involved men and women ages 37 to 50.

“When you look at the entire sample, health behaviors improved during a period that included a major recession,” Macy said in the release.

“However, those most affected by the recession, those with the most financial strain, were least likely to abstain from smoking, to exercise or to engage in healthy eating behaviors.”

Participants for both studies were drawn from the IU Smoking Survey, a longitudinal study that began in 1980.

- Makenzie Holland