Key result
Uncompensated overtime work is linked to ~85% higher risk of incident heart disease.
Why the study?
Whether withdrawing compensation for overtime work explains the harmful effects of overtime work on risk of heart disease has not been explored.
Does overtime work without compensation increase the risk of self-reported incident heart disease in employees?
Cohort (n=6,345)
Does overtime work without compensation increase the risk of self-reported incident heart disease in employees?
Relative Risk: 1.85 (95% CI 1.05–3.25)
Uncompensated overtime work is associated with a significantly increased risk of self-reported incident heart disease, highlighting the role of effort-reward imbalance in occupational cardiovascular risk.
BACKGROUND: Research evidence suggests harmful effects of overtime work on risk of heart disease. However, whether withdrawing compensation for overtime work (time-off or money) provides a relevant explanation of this association has not been explored. METHODS: Using cohort data, we included 6345 employees from Germany (3079 men and 3266 women), and applied Poisson regression analysis to examine the prospective association of overtime work without compensation with risk of self-reported incident heart disease over 2 years. RESULTS: Uncompensated overtime work was associated with an elevated risk of heart disease after adjustment for relevant variables (RR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.05-3.25), compared to no overtime work. Stratified analyses indicated particularly strong effects among women and among employees with low socioeconomic position. CONCLUSIONS: In line with the stress-theoretical model of effort-reward imbalance at work, these findings document an important role of compensation on heart disease in the frame of overtime work.
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Li et al. (2018) conducted a cohort in heart disease (n=6,345). Overtime work without compensation vs. No overtime work was evaluated on Self-reported incident heart disease (RR 1.85, 95% CI 1.05-3.25). Uncompensated overtime work was associated with an elevated risk of self-reported incident heart disease compared to no overtime work (RR 1.85; 95% CI 1.05-3.25).
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