Industry-specific prevalence and gender disparity of common mental health problems in the UK: A national repetitive cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and temporal trend of common mental health problems (CMHPs) in the UK by industrial classification from 2012-2014 to 2016-2018 while evaluating the corresponding gender disparities. METHODS: We used data from the Health Survey for England. CMPH was judged by a 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Industrial classifications were defined using the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities. Data were fitted by the logistic models. RESULTS: In this study, 19,581 participants covering 20 industries were included. In total, 18.8% of participants screened positive for CMHP in 2016-2018, which significantly increased from 16.0% in 2012-2014 [adjusted OR (AOR) = 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27]. In 2016-2018, the prevalence of CMHP ranged from 6.2% in the industry of mining and quarrying to 23.8% in the industry of accommodation and food service activities. From 2012-2014 to 2016-2018, none of the 20 industries studied experienced significant decreases in the above prevalence; conversely, three industries saw significant increases, including wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (AOR for trend = 1.32, 95% CI 1.04-1.67), construction (AOR for trend = 1.66, 95% CI 1.23-2.24), and other service activities, which cannot be classified (AOR for trend = 1.94, 95% CI 1.06-3.55). In total, 11 of the 20 industries studied had significant gender disparities against women, with the smallest gap being in the industry of transport and storage (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.09-2.0) and the highest in the industry of arts, entertainment, and recreation (AOR = 6.19, 95% CI 2.94-13.03). From 2012-2014 to 2016-2018, gender disparities were narrowed only in two industries, including human health and social work activities (AOR for trend = 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.74), and transport and storage (AOR for trend = 0.5, 95% CI 0.27-0.91). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CMHPs has increased and had a wide variation across industries in the UK. There were disparities against women, and the gender disparities have been keeping almost no improvement from 2012-2014 to 2016-2018.