Summary:
A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity examined how starting work affects young adults’ health habits, including sleep, exercise, and diet. Physical activity increased by an average of 28 minutes daily when starting work but declined by seven minutes annually. Sleep dropped by nearly 10 minutes per night initially, with non-degree holders experiencing further declines each year, while those with degrees regained pre-work sleep levels. Diets, including fruit and vegetable intake, remained largely unchanged. Researchers say the findings underscore the need for workplaces to support healthier routines for young employees.
Key Takeaways:
- Physical Activity Peaks, Then Drops: Physical activity typically increases when young adults start work but steadily declines over time; however remote workers show an initial drop in activity.
- Sleep Declines Post-Work Start: Young adults lose around 10 minutes of sleep per night after starting work, with those without degrees seeing continued annual declines.
- Diet Remains Unchanged: Starting work has little impact on fruit and vegetable consumption among young adults.
When young adults start working, the amount of daily physical activity they do increases sharply, only to fall away again over the next few years, while the amount of sleep they get falls slightly, according to new research led by scientists at the University of Cambridge.
The increase in physical activity was mainly seen in those doing semi-routine occupations such as bus driving or hairdressing, and routine occupations such as cleaning or waiting, or technical jobs. There was little change seen among people entering managerial or professional occupations.
The largest drop in levels of physical activity was seen among people who work from home—though their sleep levels did not change when they started work.
Young adulthood—ages 16 to 30 years—is an important time in terms of health. Although we are typically at our peak physical health, it is also a time when many risk factors for long-term diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer begin to develop.
The Transition to Work and Health Behaviors
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.
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 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 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Physical Activity and Sleep Patterns Shift After Work Begins
“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,” says Eleanor Winpenny, PhD, who was based at the University of Cambridge when she carried out the work but is now at Imperial College London, in a release.
The analysis showed that when people started work, their physical activity increased by an amount equivalent to around 28 minutes of moderate activity (such as cycling) per day on average but then decreased each year after starting work by around seven minutes per day.
The biggest increase was among males—up by an equivalent of around 45 minutes of moderate activity per day compared to an increase of around 16 minutes 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-minute increase of moderate physical activity per day compared to 15 minutes per day.
Working from home, however, appeared to be associated with an initial decrease in physical activity, equivalent to around 32 minutes of moderate activity per day.
Work’s Impact on Long-Term Health
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 three 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.
“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,” says Alena Oxenham from the MRC Epidemiology Unit in a release. “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.”
Winpenny adds, “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.”
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