Daily commuting to work is not associated with variables of health
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Daily commuting to work is not associated with variables of health Daniel Mauss1,2* , Marc N. Jarczok3 and Joachim E. Fischer2
Abstract Background: Commuting to work is thought to have a negative impact on employee health. We tested the association of work commute and different variables of health in German industrial employees. Methods: Self-rated variables of an industrial cohort (n = 3805; 78.9 % male) including absenteeism, presenteeism and indices reflecting stress and well-being were assessed by a questionnaire. Fasting blood samples, heart-rate variability and anthropometric data were collected. Commuting was grouped into one of four categories: 0–19.9, 20–44.9, 45–59.9, ≥60 min travelling one way to work. Bivariate associations between commuting and all variables under study were calculated. Linear regression models tested this association further, controlling for potential confounders. Results: Commuting was positively correlated with waist circumference and inversely with triglycerides. These associations did not remain statistically significant in linear regression models controlling for age, gender, marital status, and shiftwork. No other association with variables of physical, psychological, or mental health and well-being could be found. Conclusions: The results indicate that commuting to work has no significant impact on well-being and health of German industrial employees. Keywords: Corporate health management, Employees, Heart rate variability, Psychosocial load, Stress, Work-life balance
Background Commuting to work daily is thought to be an important psychosocial risk factor associated with reduced physical and mental health of employees [1, 2]. Before the 19th century, most workers lived less than a one-hour’s walk from their workplace. Nowadays, many people commute a long way from their hometown, especially in industrialized societies. Modes of commute may include automobiles, motorcycles, public transport, bicycles, and walking. The prototypical commuter lives nearby one of the large cities surrounded by exurbs and travels daily to work. According to statistical explorations on 380.000 people in 2008, sixty-four percent of German employees * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Occupational Health Services, Allianz SE, Königinstrasse 28, D-80802 Munich, Germany 2 Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Str. 7-11, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
commute to work by private car resulting in morning and evening rush hours and increased travel time over the last years [3]. Commuting is a widespread phenomenon and will increase over the next decades due to settlement patterns and availability of workplaces. The average daily commuting time in the former EU15 is 37.5 min and in the United States 48.8 min [4]. There is no standardized definition of work commute. One common used approach is daily travelling to wo
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