Is Your Job Making You Ill? Which Job Puts You at the Most Risk?

News provided by

Golin and Unilever

02 Nov, 2015, 10:03 GMT

LONDON, November 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

  • 81% of those working in financial services admit they are not active during the working day 
  • More than half in financial services sit down for most of the day (56%) 
  • More than two in five workers admit to being overweight (43%) 
  • One in five workers work long hours of between 9 and 10 hours a day 

TOP 5 DANGER JOBS[i]:

  1. Financial services (95%)
  2. Media, marketing, advertising, PR and sales (90%)
  3. It and telecoms (87%)
  4. Manufacturing (84%)
  5. Transportation and distribution (79%)
  6. Medical and healthcare (79%)

Britain's financial services industry workers are in the riskiest professions in the country, with nearly half (48%) admitting to being overweight and 23% notching up between 9 and 10 hours at work every day.

95% of the profession admits to at least one of the following: smoking during the working day, suffering from heart palpitations/a racing pulse, excessive eating/drinking or weight gain as a result of their job, not being active during the working day, working more than a 9 hours a day, or not finding time to see the doctor due to working hours.

YouGov research, commissioned by Flora ProActiv, further reveals that those working in Britain's financial services sector find getting to the doctor hard because of their job. Some 22% blame their working hours for making it harder for them to see the doctor. This may leave them at risk of not monitoring many conditions; among them, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Left unmonitored, these conditions put sufferers at risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Media, marketing, advertising, PR and sales comes in as the second most dangerous profession for heart health, as 90% of employees reveal they match at least one of the "danger" criteria listed above.

Official statistics from the British Heart Foundation show that coronary heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK, with someone struck by a heart attack every three minutes[ii].

Dr Rob Hicks, a practicing doctor who specialises in healthy living, comments: "Having regular medical checks is a vital part of staying healthy. High cholesterol is a key risk factor for heart disease and can contribute to heart disease by causing the build-up of fatty deposits in your arteries.

"This can only be detected by a routine blood test. Other factors which contribute to heart disease include high blood pressure, diabetes, age, weight, family history and ethnicity, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress.

"Several actions can help reduce these risks, including an active lifestyle, a healthy diet and lowering your cholesterol by reducing fat consumption, and eating plenty fruit and vegetables. However, a large proportion of the nation is ignoring healthy lifestyle advice, not eating healthily and working long hours each day without taking steps to look after their health."

Albane Jeanbin, Flora ProActiv Brand manager, says: "It's worrying that so many people seem to be ignoring their heart health and the risks of elevated cholesterol. With high cholesterol as a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease, Flora ProActiv is on a mission to lower the nation's cholesterol. Flora ProActiv contains plant sterols which have been shown to actively lower blood cholesterol[iii]."

About Flora ProActiv 

Flora ProActiv contains plant sterols. Plant sterols have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease.  Consuming 1.5-2.4g of plant sterols per day can lower cholesterol by 7-10% in 2-3 weeks when consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle with sufficient fruit and vegetables. Individual results may vary. Find out more by visiting http://www.floraproactiv.co.uk

Flora ProActiv spread is available in all major supermarkets RRP £3.49 (500g) /£1.90 (250g) and Mini Health Drinks RRP £3.49

About Plant Sterols 

Plant sterols occur naturally in all kinds of everyday foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, grain products, fruit and vegetables. They have been approved as safe for consumption by many regulatory bodies around the world including the European Commission. Foods with added plant sterols have a role to play as they have been shown to lower cholesterol. Many authoritative bodies list LDL-cholesterol as one of the main modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Our Flora ProActiv range contains plant sterols which help actively lower cholesterol. (European Food Safety Authority, 2014)

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,408 workers, of which 123 worked in financial services. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th-28th September 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

i. Survey respondents ticked at least one of the following: not being active during the working day, working more than 9 hours a day, smoking during the working day, racing pulse/heart palpitations, excessive eating/drinking or weight gain as a result of their job or not easy to find time to see a doctor

ii. http://visual.ons.gov.uk/what-are-the-top-causes-of-death-by-age-and-gender/

iii. Consuming 1.5-2.4g of plant sterols per day can lower cholesterol by 7-10% in 2-3 weeks when consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle with sufficient fruit and vegetables