Poor health, unhealthy behaviors, and unfavorable work characteristics influence pathways of exit from paid employment among older workers in Europe: a four year follow-up study

Abstract

Poor health, unhealthy behaviors, and unfavorable work characteristics influence pathways of exit from paid employment among older workers in Europe: a four year follow-up study by Robroek SJW, Schuring M, Croezen S, Stattin M, Burdorf A The relative importance of poor health, physical inactivity, and lack of job control differed by pathway of labor force exit. Primary preventive interventions focusing on promoting physical activity and increasing job control may contribute to reducing exit from paid employment. To maintain a productive workforce, it should be considered to integrate health promotion with activities aimed at occupational health. 125Original article Scand J Work Environ Health. 2013;39(2):125-133. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3319 Poor health, unhealthy behaviors, and unfavorable work characteristics influence pathways of exit from paid employment among older workers in Europe: a four year follow-up study Objectives The aim of this study was to get insight into the role of poor health, unhealthy behaviors, and unfavorable work characteristics on exit from paid employment due to disability pension, unemployment, and early retirement among older workers. Methods Respondents of the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 11European countries were selected when (i) aged between 50 years and the country-specific retirement age, (ii) in paid employment at baseline, and (iii) having information on employment status during the 4-year follow-up period (N=4923). Self-perceived health, health behaviors, and physical and psychosocial work characteristics were measured by interview at baseline. Employment status was derived from follow-up interviews after two and four years. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to identify determinants of unemployment, disability pension, and early retirement.Results Poor health was a risk factor for disability pension [hazard ratio (HR) 3.90, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.51-6.05], and a lack of physical activity was a risk factor for disability pension (HR 3.05, 95% CI 1.68-5.55) and unemployment (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.13-3.01). A lack of job control was a risk factor for disability pension, unemployment, and early retirement (HR 1.30-1.77).Conclusions Poor health, a lack of physical activity, and a lack of job control played a role in exit from paid employment, but their relative importance differed by pathway of labor force exit. Primary preventive interventions focusing on promoting physical activity as well as increasing job control may contribute to reducing premature exit from paid employment.

Predictors of Having Paid Work in Older Workers With and Without Chronic Disease: A 3-Year Prospective Cohort Study

“…In a recent study using European data, it was shown that lack of job control, an aspect of psychosocial resources, was a risk factor for exit from work [31]. Again, no distinction was made between those with and without chronic disease, but our results indicate that the workers with chronic disease may be responsible for this association.…”

Influence of illness and unhealthy behavior on health‐related early retirement in Korea: Results from a longitudinal study in Korea

“…In a prospective multinational study, unhealthy behavior was suggested to be an important target to reduce involuntary retirement in elderly workers 5) . Smoking is the most well known risk factor for various health conditions, and our study shows that cigarette smoking is also a risk factor for ERdHP.…”

“…A large longitudinal study reported that smokers have a dose-dependent risk of early retirement that is 5 times greater due to chronic diseases 13) . However, other longitudinal studies have not shown significant associations between smoking and risk of early retirement 12) or disability pension 5) . Another study revealed that the impact of smoking on early retirement varies by gender; smoking increases the risk of early retirement in men, but not in women 14) .…”

“…Some studies have shown that chronic disease affects early retirement 4) . Furthermore, studies that used self-perceived health status to investigate the effect of illness on early retirement 5) suggest that selfperceived health is a very important factor in the retirement process 6) . In addition, it is important to identify specific diseases related to early retirement in order to reduce the risk of early retirement.…”

Psychosocial work factors and older workers’ health in Europe

“…Low job control, defined as low ability of employees to influence decisions about their job and work organization (Gallie, 2011), was found to be a risk factor for disability pension, unemployment, and early retirement, a finding that entailed more labour market exit pathways compared to self-perceived health or unhealthy behaviours-i.e., high body mass index, physical inactivity, smoking history, and excessive alcohol intake (Robroek, Schuring, Croezen, Stattin and Burdorf 2013). Good working conditions and well-being have been found to delay retirement intentions in the near future (Siegrist et al 2007), and were also found capable of extending older workers' participation in the labour market even when disabled or impaired (Pollak 2012).…”