For people with diabetes, having a job is good for your health, and not just because of the insurance coverage.
A new University of Michigan study found that that unemployed people with diabetes are less likely to take their anti-diabetic medications and stay healthy than those with jobs.
"Improved use of medications is more than just a facet of having medical insurance,” said lead researcher Rajesh Balkrishnan of the UM College of Pharmacy and School of Public Health. “It is linked to bigger issues such as being employed, periods of joblessness or a personal financial strain."
Balkrishnan added that workers tend to lead healthier, active lifestyles and have greater access to medical care resources than those without jobs – factors that may also influence health.
The findings, published online in the journal Health Outcomes Research in Medicine, are based on an analysis of 2,256 diabetics whose health and job situation was tracked between 2001 and 2007.
Researchers noted diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death and the eighth-most costly disease to treat. In 2007, total health care costs for diabetes were estimated at $174 billion.