Health Effects of Job Loss

Becoming  more aware of how job loss affects health is important. Once you know, you can focus on alleviating potential negative effects.

Job loss is stressful and can cause an increased risk of developing new health problems like diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart disease or heart attack.

According to a new study by Kate Strully, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health, the health risk is still present even when workers find a new job quickly.

Study findings:

• For white or blue collar workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own (as in establishment closure), the odds of reporting fair or poor health increased by 54%.

• Those with no pre-existing health conditions had 83% increased odds of developing a new health condition when no-fault job loss was experienced.

• When blue-collar workers were fired, laid off or left jobs on their own, they experienced poorer health than their white-collar counterparts in the same situation.

The study was based on data from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics. It’s published in the May 8 issue of Demography.

With study results in mind, it seems that the weeks and months after job loss are a good time to focus on your health with exercise and proper diet, as well as routine doctor visits.

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