Is there a relationship between working hours and hypertension? Evidence from the United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Previous studies find conflicted results on the relationship between long working hours and hypertension. Establishing a consensus for the direction of the relationship, more research is needed. OBJECTIVES: Although the European Union's Working Time Directive limits weekly working hours, no such similar restriction exists in the United States. This leads to the important question of which is a better policy. This study bridges a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between working hours and having hypertension among older workers in the United States. METHODS: We applied the Cox regression and probit methods to panel data taken from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS.) RESULTS: We found that an increase in a person's working hours reduces the probability of having high blood pressure for male and female workers. CONCLUSION: This study's findings may raise questions about the need for initiatives in the European Union and other countries that regulate the length of work schedules.