The impact of first-time employment on young adults’ health behaviors

By Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D.Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Jan 31 2025

A recent study explores how the shift from education to employment affects physical activity, sleep, and diet, emphasizing the need for workplace health initiatives.

Study: New job, new habits? A multilevel interrupted time series analysis of changes in diet, physical activity and sleep among young adults starting work for the first time. Image Credit: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock/com

A recent study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity examines how the initial transition from school to work influences diet, physical activity, and sleep duration among adolescents and young adults.

A healthy transition into adulthood

Healthy lifestyle factors, including a balanced diet, regular physical activity, and sufficient sleep are major determinants of an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing. For young adults between 16 and 30 years of age, seven to nine hours of sleep every night is advised, along with at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week and the consumption of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Although young adulthood is typically associated with individuals who are at their peak physical and mental health, recent evidence indicates that many young adults are affected by chronic diseases like obesity. The transition from education to employment during young adulthood, which often coincides with moving out of family homes to independent living, may have negative effects on the health behaviors of young adults, which can subsequently increase their risk of developing certain diseases.

Thus, it is crucial to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition from adolescence to young adulthood to support healthy lifestyles in these individuals. Although several studies have investigated the impact of the workplace environment on health, few have examined the association between the first-time transition to work and heath behaviors among young adults.

Study design

The current study included 3,302 participants between 16 and 30 years of age from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) who started working for the first time between 2015 and 2023. Study participants were asked to provide information on daily fruit and vegetable intake, regular physical activity patterns, and daily sleep duration. These behavioral trends were assessed before employment, immediately after employment, and over an extended period of time after employment.

Subgroup analyses explored the role of demographic characteristics like sex, education, parental education and socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, as well as job characteristics including shift times, commute mode, job location, and work hours, in moderating the association between first-time employment and health behaviors.

Important observations

The current study revealed increased physical activity levels among study participants immediately after employment, which subsequently decreased over time. This induction was particularly evident among male participants, study participants without a university degree, and those starting lower socioeconomic classification jobs.

Study participants who started working from home reported an initial reduction of physical activity. However, those who started working in an office setting reported an initial induction of exercise.

A stable daily sleep duration over time was observed before starting work, which subsequently decreased immediately after employment and remained unchanged over time. The reduction in sleep duration immediately after starting work was observed among participants with and without a university degree. Over time, study participants with a university degree exhibited an induction in sleep duration, whereas those without a university degree reported reduced sleep durations.

Initial employment and duration of employment did not have a significant impact on fruit and vegetable consumption among the study cohort. However, a significant interaction was observed between fruit consumption and education status, as study participants without a university degree reported reduced daily fruit intake after employment as compared to those with a university degree reporting greater fruit intake.

Balancing work and well-being: The need for workplace health initiatives

First-time employment may modulate health behaviors among young adults between 16 and 30 years of age. This initial transition into work has the highest impact on physical activity level, a moderate impact on sleep duration, and a negligible impact on diet.

A more significant increase in physical activity levels was observed among male participants and those with lower socioeconomic positions. This finding may be attributed to the increased likelihood of these individuals working manual labor jobs that require more physical activity.

Work-related commute time may also impact physical activity levels among young employees, as the current study reports reduced physical activity among study participants with a work-from-home status as compared those who work in office settings. This observation agrees with existing evidence indicating that active commuting is associated with positive outcomes in physical activity and fitness.

Educational level may impact the association between employment and sleep duration, as individuals without a university degree are more likely to experience long-term sleep disturbances after employment than those with a university degree. These findings are in accordance with the United States Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance study, which reveals associations between low occupational social class and sleep disturbances.

Overall, the current study reports both positive and negative impacts of first-time transition into work on health behaviors among young adults and highlights the need for workplace health promotion interventions to improve health, prevent obesity, and promote positive generational changes.