Association between lifestyle habits and presenteeism.

This study investigates the relationship between changes in multiple good lifestyle habits and changes in presenteeism—defined as reduced productivity while working despite health issues—among employees of large Japanese companies over one year. Using Breslow's seven health practices to assess lifestyle habits and the Quality and Quantity (QQ) method to measure presenteeism, the study found that an increased number of combined healthy lifestyle habits was associated with reduced presenteeism, although this association was influenced by psychological distress measured via the Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale. Specifically, improvements in body mass index (BMI) correlated with decreased presenteeism, while worsened sleep habits were linked to increased presenteeism. The findings highlight the importance of promoting multiple healthy lifestyle habits alongside organizational interventions addressing psychological distress to effectively reduce presenteeism in the workplace.