A new health study reveals blue-collar workers often suffer the worst health.
The study comes from research group Gallup and wellness company Healthways, who gathered information about workers for its 2011 Well-Being Index. It found that those who keep society running—transportation and construction workers, for example—have worse health more often.
They also make up the majority of the country's workforce: According to 2010 statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 61 percent of U.S. workers are considered blue-collar.
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About 37 percent of transportation workers and 31 percent of manufacturing and production employees are obese. The survey also found smoking was prevalent among 33 percent in mining and construction and 29 percent in installation and repair work.
On average, blue-collar workers were more than 6 percentage points above the national smoking rate. They also were less likely to visit a dentist and more likely to have high blood pressure.
Desk jobs are usually the best jobs for health: Clerical, office and service workers reported some of the best health.
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