Health risk factors and self-rated health among job-seekers

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Beate Gaertner¹  Stefanie Tobschall²  Ulrich John²  Jennis Freyer-Adam² 

[1]Charité University Medicine Berlin, Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Luisenstr. 65, 10117, Berlin, Germany

[2]Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Germany

[3]University Medicine Greifswald, Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 48, 17475, Greifswald, Germany

关键词: addictive behavior;    body mass index;    health behavior;    unemployment & health;    health promotion;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-11-659

 received in 2011-04-13, accepted in 2011-08-19,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTo determine a) proportions of behavior related health risk factors among job-seekers and b) to what extend these are related to self-rated health.MethodsOver 12 months, job-seekers were recruited at three job-agencies in northeastern Germany. Among all individuals eligible for study inclusion, 7,906 (79.8%) provided information on smoking, risky drinking, overweight/obesity (body mass index), fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, illicit drug use, and self-rated health. Proportions and 95% confidence intervals stratified by gender, age and duration of unemployment were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses predicting self-rated health were conducted.ResultsThe proportions of each health-risk factor were high, and 52.4% of the sample (53.4% male, 33.5 years mean age) had 3 or more health risk factors. Mostly, the proportions were particularly high among men and long-term unemployed individuals; e.g. 84.8% of the 18-24 year old long-term unemployed men were current smokers. Proportions of substance use related health risk factors were highest among the 18-24 year olds (e.g. risky drinking 28.7%), and proportions of health risk factors related to nutrition and physical inactivity were highest among the 40-64 year olds (e.g. overweight/obesity 65.4%). Depending on gender, all health risk factors and having 3 or more health risk factors were associated with lower self-rated health; odd ratios ranged between 1.2 for smoking (95% CI: 1.0-1.3) and 1.7 for overweight and physical inactivity (95% CI: 1.5-1.9).ConclusionsPrevention efforts to reduce health risk factors and to increase health among job-seekers are needed, and job agencies appear a feasible setting for their implementation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Freyer-Adam et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011