Age at job initiation and risk of coronary heart disease: findings from the UK biobank cohort study

BACKGROUND: Commencing work at an early age has been linked to various risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), such as shift work and intensive job strain. However, the relationship between starting work too early and CHD risk remains largely unclear. We examined the association between age at job initiation and the risk of CHD. METHODS: UK Biobank participants aged 38 to 70 years without cardiovascular disease who provided data on their age at job initiation were included. The primary outcome was CHD, which was ascertained using hospital and death records. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) for the association between age at job initiation and CHD were calculated using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: Of the 501,971 participants, 114,418 eligible participants were included in the final analysis. The median age at job initiation was 19.0 years. During the mean follow-up of 12.6 years, 6,130 (5.4%) first CHD events occurred. We observed that age at job initiation was inversely associated with CHD (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97–0.99), and the association was potentially J-shaped. The HRs for the < 17-year, 17–18-year, and 19–21-year age groups were 1.29 (95%CI 1.18–1.41), 1.12 (95% CI 1.03–1.22) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.97–1.14), respectively, compared with those of the ≥ 22-year group. CONCLUSIONS: Age at job initiation was associated with incident CHD, which was independent of socioeconomic status. Participants who commenced employment before the age of 19 years exhibited a higher risk of developing CHD later in adulthood. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-17034-3.