TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Association of long working hours with accidents and suicide mortality in Korea
JO  - Scandinavian journal of work, environment and health
A1  - Lee, Hye-Eun
A1  - Kim, Inah
A1  - Kim, Hyoung-Ryoul
A1  - Kawachi, Ichiro
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVEs The deleterious health effects of long working hours have been previously investigated, but there is a dearth of studies on mortality resulting from accidents or suicide. This prospective study aims to examine the association between working hours and external-cause mortality (accidents and suicide) in Korea, a country with some of the longest working hours in the world. <br><br>METHODS Employed workers (N=14 484) participating in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were matched with the Korea National Statistical Office's death registry from 2007-2016 (person-years = 81 927.5 years, mean weighted follow-up duration = 5.7 years). Hazard ratios (HR) for accident (N=25) and suicide (N=27) mortality were estimated according to weekly working hours, with 35-44 hours per week as the reference. <br><br>RESULTS Individuals working 45-52 hours per week had higher risk of total external cause mortality compared to those working 35-44 hours per week [HR 2.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-6.40], adjusting for sex, age, household income, education, occupation, and depressive symptoms. Among the external causes of death, suicide risk was higher (HR 3.89, 95% CI 1.06-14.29) for working 45-52 hours per week compared to working 35-44 hours per week. Working >52 hours per week also showed increased risk for suicide (HR 3.74, 95% CI 1.03-13.64). No statistically significant associations were found for accident mortality. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS Long working hours are associated with higher suicide mortality rates in Korea.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0355-3140
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3890
ID  - ref1
ER  -