Long working hours and cardiovascular disease mortality: Prospective evidence from the United States.

Yiran Gu, Timothy A Matthews, Jian Li

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Preventive medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

3citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

Long working hours and mortality outcomes: A systematic review with outcome-specific evidence synthesis.iScience · 2026
Article
Ischemic Stroke Burden in China and Other G20 Nations (1990-2021): A Comparative Analysis From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 and Trend Projections Through 2031.Health care science · 2026
Article
Risk for Diabetes From Long Working Hours and Night Work in the United States: Prospective Associations and Machine Learning Techniques.Safety and health at work · 2025
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yiran GuDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Timothy A MatthewsDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Health & Human Development, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA.

Jian LiDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: jianli2019@ucla.edu.

Funding

NIA NIH HHS P01-AG020166NIA NIH HHS U19- AG051426NIOSH CDC HHS R21 OH012446NIOSH CDC HHS R21OH012446

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.). This study aimed to explore prospective associations between long working hours with CVD mortality using a large, national study in the U.S.

methodsData from the Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS) Study were used, including 4051 currently employed participants without prior experience of myocardial infarction or stroke at baseline in 1995-1996. Working hours were categorized into: <35 h/week, 35-40 h/week (reference), 41-48 h/week, 49-54 h/week, and ≥ 55 h/week. Mortality data were extracted from the National Death Index (NDI) through Spring 2021. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to analyze the prospective associations between working hours at baseline and CVD mortality, adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Stratified analyses by socioeconomic status (i.e., education and financial situation) were also conducted.

resultsLong working hours (≥55 h/week) were significantly associated with increased CVD mortality (adjusted HR 1.50; 95 % CI 1.03-2.17) compared to the reference group. Subgroup analyses showed that individuals with low education level or poor financial situation had a higher risk of CVD mortality when working long hours.

conclusionLong working hours are a significant risk factor for CVD mortality in this national sample of U.S. workers, and participants with low socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to the effects of long working hours on CVD deaths. These findings highlight the need for considering working hour interventions in public health strategies to improve cardiovascular health outcomes in the workforce.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesEmploymentAdultFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHeart Disease Risk FactorsHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsProspective StudiesTime FactorsUnited StatesCardiovascular diseaseLong working hoursMortalityProspective cohort studyUnited States

Identifiers

PMID39805547

DOI10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108225

PMCPMC13649373

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.