Women who work linked to weight gain

Women who worked more than 35 hours a week were more likely to experience weight gain, researchers in Australia found. Study leader Dr. Nicole Au of the Centre for Health Economics at Monash University in Australia and colleagues analyzed 9,276 women ages 45–50 from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health for 1996 and 1998. The study found 55 percent of the women gained weight over the two-year period. On average the women gained 1.5 percent of their initial weight, but extreme amounts of weight gain were also evident. Au attributed longer working hours to increased weight gain with women spending less time maintaining their health and fitness levels because they were working. "More than 60 percent of Australian adults are now overweight or obese, representing a serious public health concern," Au said in a statement. "The study highlights the growing number of Australian women entering the workforce and the effects on their ability to maintain a healthy weight. Extended work hours may reduce the time spent preparing home-cooked meals, exercising and sleeping which are risk factors for obesity." Policies that assist women who work long hours to reduce the time costs of sustaining a healthy diet and their physical activity routine may have positive benefits, Au said. The findings were published in the International Journal of Obesity.