@article {12558, title = {Exploring the relationship between self-employment and women{\textquoteright}s cardiovascular health.}, journal = {BMC Womens Health}, volume = {22}, year = {2022}, pages = {307}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Compared with wage and salary work, self-employment has been linked to more favorable cardiovascular health outcomes within the general population. Women comprise a significant proportion of the self-employed workforce and are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease. Self-employed women represent a unique population in that their cardiovascular health outcomes may be related to gender-specific advantages of non-traditional employment. To date, no studies have comprehensively explored the association between self-employment and risk factors for cardiovascular disease among women.

METHODS: We conducted a weighted cross-sectional analysis using data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Our study sample consisted of 4624 working women (employed for wages and self-employed) enrolled in the 2016 HRS cohort. Multivariable linear and logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between self-employment and several self-reported physical and mental health risk factors for cardiovascular disease, controlling for healthcare access.

RESULTS: Among working women, self-employment was associated with a 34\% decrease in the odds of reporting obesity, a 43\% decrease in the odds of reporting hypertension, a 30\% decrease in the odds of reporting diabetes, and a 68\% increase in the odds of reporting participation in at least twice-weekly physical activity (p < 0.05). BMI for self-employed women was on average 1.79 units lower than it was for women working for wages (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Employment structure may have important implications for cardiovascular health among women, and future studies should explore the causal relationship between self-employment and cardiovascular health outcomes in this population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

}, keywords = {Cross-Sectional Studies, Educational Status, Employment, Female, Social Class, Socioeconomic factors}, issn = {1472-6874}, doi = {10.1186/s12905-022-01893-w}, author = {Dzodzomenyo, Sedina and Narain, Kimberly Danae Cauley} }