BEING A HOUSEWIFE IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH; Jobs 'cut illness risk'.

Byline: AINE HEGARTY

HOUSEWIVES are more likely to suffer from heart disease and strokes than women who go to work, research revealed yesterday.

Scientists found that middleaged women who stay at home rather than have jobs are more prone to killer diseases.

The study said several factors contribute to the increased risk of heart failure and strokes among housewives who were more likely to smoke, be less educated, drink more, be overweight and suffer from depression.

The University of North Carolina team looked at more than 7,000 women aged 45 to 64 to see if there was a link between employment status, heart diseases and strokes.

They found those who went out to work had a lower risk of these illnesses compared with homemakers.

For heart disease, this link was stronger among those without a high school education.

The authors said: "As more women enter the work force different theories have emerged about the potential health effects for women.

"In our study, homemakers had a worse heart disease risk factor profile than women employed outside the home. We did not assess employment status until middle age, so it is possible the women in our study could have self-selected into homemaking or employment outside of the home due to their health status before participating in this study."

The report, published in the Elsevier science journal Annals Of Epidemiology, found women in manual jobs had a slightly higher chance of suffering heart disease than those in managerial roles.

However, there was no difference when it came to stroke risk.

CAPTION(S):

DOMESTIC LIFE Stay at home wife