Overview

• The study published in BMC Public Health used biological and physical measurements from 19,400 US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess cardiovascular risk factors.
• Self-employed women showed a 7.4-point drop in obesity, a 7.0-point reduction in physical inactivity and a 9.4-point decline in poor sleep duration compared with salaried women.
• Women of color in self-employment experienced a 6.7-point decrease in poor diet, a 7.3-point fall in inactivity and an 8.1-point reduction in suboptimal sleep.
• Self-employed white men saw modest declines in poor diet and hypertension, whereas minority men did not report similar cardiovascular benefits.
• Researchers suggest that greater autonomy and reduced perceived stress may explain these associations, but the cross-sectional design prevents causal claims.