Workplace stress poses a risk of obesity: Follow-up study involving more than 10,000 employees of Osaka University

A research group led by Doctoral Student Yuichiro Matsumura of the Graduate School of Medicine, and Professor Ryohei Yamamoto of the Health and Counseling Center at Osaka University conducted a follow-up study to investigate the association of the stress response with weight gain. A total of 10,036 employees of Osaka University aged 19−65 years and completed stress assessments between fiscal years 2016 and 2021 were included in the study and followed until fiscal year 2022. The results showed that among scores for the three domains of the stress assessment, job stressors, psychological and physical stress responses and social support, participants with a higher psychological and physical stress response score were found at an elevated risk for ≥10% weight gain. Psychological and physical stress responses refer to situations such as "being anxious," "being depressed," "having heart palpitations or shortness of breath," or "being unable to sleep." Meanwhile, work stressors and social support were not risks for weight gain.

Obesity is an important cause of noncommunicable diseases that need to be addressed, and its prevention measures are fundamental to maintaining the health of each member of the public. By raising awareness that mental and physical stress in the workplace is a risk factor, it is hoped that interventions in the workplace can reduce workplace stress and thus lower employee health risks. The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Matsumura commented, "Workplace stress has long been a major social problem, and certain countermeasures have been adopted. However, according to the 'Survey on Industrial Safety and Health' by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, more than 80% of workers reported that they feel stress in the workplace in 2022 and the measures to address workplace stress do not appear to be adequate. Furthermore, the work style reform, which began in 2019, contributed to a decrease in the total number of overtime hours. However, corporate managers exploited it to cut overtime pay. Consequently, employees are caught in a vicious cycle in which they are forced to work more in less time and exposed to more physical and mental stress. We sincerely hope that this study will not only help build an awareness that workplace stress leads to weight gain and obesity and carries a risk of developing noncommunicable diseases, but also contribute to environmental improvements and stress reduction in the workplace."

Journal Information
Publication: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Title: Association of psychological and physical stress response with weight gain in university employees in Japan: a retrospective cohort study
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003238