Research project: Modern work - Healthy work?
Project title: Modern work - healthy work? Changes in work-related physical activity as an explanatory factor in the development of physical and mental morbidity
General information
Funding body: Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture
Funding program: Pro*Niedersachsen - Funding projects in the humanities, cultural and social sciences
Funding amount: 99,574 €
Project duration: 2023-2024
Project management: Dr. Johannes Beller
Collaborators: Batoul Safieddine, Julia Graßhoff (with intended doctorate on the project topic), Susanne Steffens (intern)
Institution: Medical Sociology, Hannover Medical School
Brief description
In recent years, there has been a diverging trend in health development: while the health of older people continues to improve, the health of younger adults of working age is deteriorating at the same time. The changing world of work could be a possible cause of this expansion in morbidity. Adults spend a large proportion of their time at work, where they are exposed to a variety of influences on their health. However, there are hardly any empirical studies investigating the relationship between changes in the world of work and health trends.
This interdisciplinary research project aims to help close these evidence gaps. To this end, the BIBB/BAuA employment surveys from 1979 to 2018 will be used to analyze changes in work-related physical activity, including physical inactivity, both for all employees and for socio-demographic subgroups. It also examines the extent to which there were parallel changes in the physical and mental health of these groups and whether the health trends can be explained by the change in work-related activity. Other data sources such as the routine data of the AOK Lower Saxony and the European Working Conditions Survey will also be used for this purpose.
The findings will provide a detailed picture of the relationship between changes in the world of work and health. They can help to better understand and predict the worsening health trends in young and middle-aged adults. In addition, they can be used to identify particularly impaired groups of workers who can be supported by target group-specific prevention and intervention programs to counteract the negative effects of the changing world of work on health.
Previous project publications:
- Physical working conditions over time: a repeated cross-sectional study in German employees, Johannes Beller, Julia Graßhoff & Batoul Safieddine, DOI: 10.1186/s12995-024-00423-8.
This study investigated time trends in physical working conditions in different occupational groups in Germany between 2006 and 2018. The results showed an overall improvement in most occupational exposure measures, but with considerable differences between occupational groups. - Type 2 diabetes in the employed population: do rates and trends differ among nine occupational sectors? An analysis using German health insurance claims data, Batoul Safieddine, Julia Graßhoff, Siegfried Geyer, Johannes Beller, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18705-5.
This study analyzed differences in the prevalence and trends of type 2 diabetes between nine occupational sectors in Germany between 2012 and 2019. It showed significant differences in diabetes prevalence and an increasing trend among younger workers with gender-specific differences between sectors. The study identifies vulnerable occupational sectors with regard to type 2 diabetes and thus provides relevant findings for occupational differences in cardiometabolic health. - Time trends in limited lung function among German middle-aged and older adults, Johannes Beller, Batoul Safieddine, Stefanie Sperlich, Siegfried Geyer, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55624-2.
This study investigated temporal changes in limited lung function and possible social inequalities among middle-aged and older adults in Germany. The results showed a strong decline in the prevalence of impaired lung function over time, which could be partly explained by positive trends in socioeconomic indicators, smoking, physical activity and occupational exposure. - Differential trends in prolonged sitting time in Europe: a multilevel analysis of European Eurobarometer data from 2013 to 2022, Johannes Beller, Julia Graßhoff, Batoul Safieddine, doi: 10.1007/s10389-023-02090-1.
This study analyzed differential trends in long sitting times in Europe between 2013 and 2022 using Eurobarometer data. The results showed different developments depending on socio-demographic groups, with middle-aged adults with lower socio-economic status in particular showing increasing sitting times.