Jugglingacareeralongwithbeingawifeorpartnerandparentmayhelptokeepwomenhealthy,scientistssaidonMonday.AfteranalyzingdatafromastudythattrackedthehealthofBritonsbornin1946,theyfoundthatwomenwhohadmultipleroleswerelesslikelythanhomemakers,singlemothersorchildlessfemalestoreportpoorhealthortobeobeseinmiddleage."Womenwhooccupiedmultiplerolesoverthelongtermreportedrelativelygoodhealthatage54,"saidDrAnneMcMunn,ofUniversity
CollegeLondon."Itlookslikewomenarerelativelyhealthyasaresultofcombiningworkandfamilylife."InthestudypublishedintheJournalofEpidemiologyandCommunityHealth,McMunnandherteamanalyzedself-reportedhealthrecordsofmorethan2,000womenattheagesof26and54andtheirbodymassindex,amethodofmeasuringobesity.Informationontheirmaritalstatus,workhistoryandwhethertheyhadchildrenwasalsoincluded.Theresearchersfoundthatwomenwhohadbeenhomemakersmostoftheirlivesweremostlikelytoreportpoorhealth,followedbysinglemothersandchildlesswomen.Homemakerstendedtogainweightmorequicklyandhadthehighestrateofobesityat38percentwhilewomenwhowereemployees,wivesandmothershadthelowest.McMunnsaidithasbeenknownforsometimethatwomenwhocombineemploymentwithmotherhoodandpartnershiphavebetterhealth.Butitwasnotclearwhethertheywereworkingandhavingchildrenbecausetheywerehealthy,orwhethertheywerehealthybecausetheywerecombiningthetwo.