Starting work boosts physical activity but gradually leads to a decline, especially for remote workers. Sleep slightly decreases, with differences based on education level. Experts highlight the importance of workplace environments in promoting long-term health.
When young adults enter the workforce, their daily physical activity increases significantly at first but gradually declines over the following years. Meanwhile, their sleep duration decreases slightly, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.
The increase in physical activity was most noticeable among those in semi-routine jobs, such as bus drivers and hairdressers, as well as in routine roles like cleaning, waiting tables, or technical work. However, individuals in managerial or professional positions showed little to no change in their activity levels.
The biggest decline in physical activity occurred among those who work from home, although their sleep patterns remained unchanged after starting work.
Health Risks During Young Adulthood
Young adulthood, between the ages of 16 and 30, is a crucial period for overall health. While people are generally at their peak physical condition during this stage, it is also when risk factors for chronic diseases — such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer — often begin to emerge.
Health guidelines recommend young adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, engage in 150 minutes or more of moderate physical activity per week, and consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
How Work Affects Daily Routines
Young adulthood is also the time when most people start work, which changes their daily routines and activities, resources such as time and money, and social and physical environments – all of which affect health behaviors and health in later life.
To quantify the impact that starting work has on health-related behaviors, a team led by researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge examined repeated data taken over time from more than 3,000 participants in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. All the participants were aged 16-30 years and started work for the first time between 2015 and 2023.
The results are published today (January 27) in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Dr. Eleanor Winpenny, who was based at the University of Cambridge when she carried out the work, but is now at Imperial College London, said: “We know about physical activity and sleep patterns among young people while they’re at school, but very little about what happens when they start work. Given the impact that work can have on our lives – and the lasting impacts this can have on our health – it’s important to try and understand what happens at this transition.”
Key Findings from the Study
The analysis showed that when people started work, their physical activity increased by an amount equivalent to around 28 min of moderate activity (such as cycling) per day on average – but then decreased each year after starting work by around 7 min per day.
The biggest increase was among males – up by an equivalent of around 45 min of moderate activity per day compared to an increase of around 16 min for females. People who did not have a university degree also showed a greater increase in physical activity compared to those with a university degree – equivalent to around a 42 min increase of moderate physical activity per day compared to 15 min per day.
Working from home, however, appeared to be associated with an initial decrease in physical activity, equivalent to around 32 min of moderate activity per day.
When young adults started work, the amount of time they slept per night dropped immediately by almost 10 minutes and remained stable at this level over time; however, people without a degree showed a continuing decrease of about 3 minutes of sleep per night each year after starting work, while those with a degree slowly increased back to their pre-work sleep levels.
There was little change in the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed after starting work.
Expert Insights on Work-Life Balance
Alena Oxenham, from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, said: “Beginning work can have a profound impact on our lifestyles and on behaviors that might make a difference to our health, if not immediately then later in life.
“Although we found that people tend to do more physical activity when they begin work, which is good news, these are averages, and some people – particularly those who work from home and, to a lesser degree, those with office-based jobs – may do less.
“If we want to stay healthy throughout our lives, we need to remember that keeping active is an important way of helping us achieve this goal. Those working at home might want to consider incorporating physical activity into their day, for example by going for a walk before or after work, or during a lunch break.”
Opportunities for Healthier Workplaces
Dr. Winpenny added: “Workplaces provide an opportunity to create environments and cultures that support healthier diets, more physical activity, and better sleep for young adults. This could result in healthier employees and fewer sick days in the immediate term, but also have long-term benefits, helping prevent health issues in later life.”
Reference: “New job, new habits? A multilevel interrupted time series analysis of changes in diet, physical activity and sleep among young adults starting work for the first time” by Alena F. Oxenham, Tanya Braune, Esther van Sluijs, Hannah Fairbrother, Adam Martin and Eleanor M. Winpenny, 28 January 2025, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
DOI: 10.1186/s12966-024-01682-8
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