Is Higher Work Engagement Associated With Healthy Behaviors? A Longitudinal Study.

Abstract

We conducted a longitudinal study to examine whether work engagement promotes healthy employee behaviors (smoking cessation, drinking moderation, and regular exercise) among Japanese workers. The study was part of the Japanese Study of Health, Occupation, and Psychosocial Factors Related to Equity (J-HOPE). The survey measured work engagement of 8050 employees from 12 workplaces. A multivariable logistic analysis was used to examine the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals after adjusting for job stress, psychological distress, and other confounders. The mean age of the sample was 40.6 years and 77.4% of the participants were men. The mean work engagement score was 2.9. Higher work engagement was significantly positively associated with drinking moderation and weekly exercise behavior, but not smoking cessation. Higher work engagement was associated with healthier employee behaviors after 1 year.