Work is good for your health?
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| Mon, 05-15-2006 - 5:25am |
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=43421
Working Mothers Healthier Than Full-time Housewives
Main Category: Women's Health / OBGYN News
Article Date: 15 May 2006 - 1:00am (PDT)
According to new research carried out in Britain, working mothers enjoy better health than full-time housewives. Despite the stress working mothers face by holding down a job, dealing with childcare, housework and striving to keep the family happy.
It appears that working mothers, when compared to full-time housewives, are less likely to become overweight, have a better level of health and a healthier relationship. The study also found that single mothers experience worse health than working mothers who have a partner and children.
You can read about this study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Team leader, Dr. Anne McMunn, University College London, said that women who combine work with children and marriage do seem to have better health than full-time housewives. Even though they may experience high levels of stress sometimes.
It is not a question of chicken-and-egg either. Dr. McMunn said it is the experience of work plus having a family that brings on the better health, not the fact that only healthier mothers decide to carry on working.
The researchers examined data on women born in 1946 from the Medical Research Council's National Study of Health and Development. The data registers their health from 1946 until they are 54. Women's health was examined, with the help of a questionnaire at the ages of 26 through to 54. Every decade, the questionnaire collects data on each woman's work history, whether she is/was married, has children, her height and weight.
The healthiest women were the ones who had all three of the following:
-- A Partner
-- Children
-- A job
Those reporting the worst health were stay-at-home mothers, followed by childless women and single mothers.
38% of stay-at-home mothers were obese when they reached their 50s, for working mothers the percentage was 23%.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

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And, other than Starbucks, I don't know of any employer who offers insurance of any kind to part-time employees. Or do you know of employers who do? Or are you saying that college students should work full time as well as going to college full time?
Chris
The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett
"You don't understand foreign relations or the nature of power or the nature of threat."
So you say.
I could say the same of you.
So you could support yourself (and afford health care) and go to college full time, before age 21?
Chris
The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett
If dh were to get a job in the U.S. he might have serious difficulties with insurance because of a pre-existing condition: he has had cancer twice and is only 2 years into his latest "wait-and-see" period. Any company insurance may or may not choose to insure him and despite our many years of education and work experience we could certainly neither afford to purchase the insurance ourselves nor cover the costs of his on-going monitoring (every 3 months for the next 3 years and every 6-12 months for years after that). He got his first round of cancer when he was in his mid-30s.
A job in Europe or Canada, otoh, would be no problem as he would be guaranteed health insurance coverage.
"I'm not sure he would want to leave Cuba and move to the midwest, too cold here in the winter and I kinda like living in the midwest, but would love to visit Cuba. He already has quite a number of Americans living very close to him in Florida....just 90 miles away, perhaps you should ask them?"
Okay, I'll call my in-laws. But, what does that have to do with anything?
Based on what?
PumpkinAngel
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Beats that heck out of me, I just answered your questions.
PumpkinAngel
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