A new study following the lives of almost 141,000 people participating in 19 different cohort studies, including the British Household Panel Study in the UK, as well as studies from Europe, Australia and the United States, has found a link between job insecurity and diabetes.
The research, co-authored by Meena Kumari, Professor of Biological and Social Epidemiology at ISER, has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and looks at the work, health and lifestyles of the participants.
The increasing use of temporary contracts,
zero-hours contracts and other forms of
flexible employment have made job insecurity
a feature of much previously secure
employment in high-income countries.
Job insecurity has previously been associated with certain health outcomes and the researchers examined the role of job insecurity as a risk factor for incident diabetes.
In addition to impacts on social circumstances, the health
consequences of job insecurity are now becoming increasingly recognized.
Most evidence to date has relied on self-reported health outcomes, such as mental and physical health symptoms. In addition, an association has been reported between job insecurity and cardiovascular risk factors, such as dyslipidemia and weight gain, and a recent analysis
of individual data for 170, 000 workers showed an
association between job insecurity and clinically
verified incident coronary events.
The prevalence of diabetes has increased steadily over recent decades, mostly owing to rising rates of overweight and obesity, and aging populations.
Previous research has shown an association between job insecurity and a subsequent increase in body mass index (BMI), and a high BMI is a strong risk factor for diabetes.
This study is the first to find a link between job insecurity and an increased risk of diabetes.