{
  "abstract": "Background Previous studies have examined the relationship between obesity and employment internationally, with women being the most affected. Despite recent rapid economic change and an estimated 85 million people of working age living with obesity, existing systematic reviews have highlighted only limited evidence about the relationship in China. In the context of such a large working population living with obesity, this research aims to examine the relationship between obesity and employment outcomes, including whether or not they are self-employed, and differences by key subgroups (gender and area-level economic development).Methods Data: The China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is the largest family-based panel survey in China and is collected every 2 years. Data from 26,149 participants in the 2018 survey (the most recent data collected before COVID-19) were included in this study.Analysis: Logistic regression was used to explore the association between dependent variables (i.e., employed vs. not employed) and whether or not self-employed (conditional on being in employment) and independent variables (i.e., BMI category, various personal and area characteristics). Differences by gender and area-level economic development (ranging from the most developed Eastern Area through the developed Central Area, to the least developed Western Area) were explored.Software: Stata 17.0Results Overall, individuals living with overweight (Odds Ratio [OR]: 0.91, Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.85–0.98) and obesity (OR: 0.81, CI: 0.73–0.91) were less likely to be employed and, of those employed, were more likely to be self-employed (Overweight: OR: 1.10, CI: 1.02–1.19; Obesity: OR: 1.36, CI: 1.21–1.54), even after controlling for all covariates. For subgroups, women living with obesity were less likely to be employed, especially in the Western Area (OR: 0.74, CI: 0.60–0.90). Women living with excess weight were more likely to be self-employed, especially in the Eastern Area (Overweight: OR: 1.39, CI: 1.16–1.67; Obesity: OR: 1.83, CI: 1.36–2.48). Men in the Eastern Area living with obesity (OR: 1.50, CI: 1.20–1.87) were more likely to be self-employed.Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate associations between obesity and employment types using CFPS. Individuals living with overweight and obesity in China are found to be less likely to be employed and more likely to be self-employed, with stronger negative associations observed among women in certain economic areas. This analysis underscores the potential role of labour market discrimination, health-related productivity loss, or socioeconomic barriers. These findings highlight the possibility for targeted policies and workplace interventions to mitigate employment disparities linked to excess weight.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoxiang Dai"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Adam Martin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Howdon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Hill"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Miaoqing Yang"
    }
  ],
  "title": "OP24 Does obesity affect employment? Evidence from working-age adults living in China",
  "uid": "f6f9735c-47ba-5153-bdcc-1dfacf103d15"
}