Retirement as a predictor of physical functioning trajectories among older businessmen

Abstract

Background Associations between retirement characteristics and consequent physical functioning (PF) are poorly understood, particularly in higher socioeconomic groups, where postponing retirement has had both positive and negative implications for PF. Methods Multiple assessments of PF, the first of which at the mean age of 73.3 years, were performed on 1709 men who were retired business executives and managers, using the RAND-36/SF-36 instrument, between 2000 and 2010. Questionnaire data on retirement age and type of pension was gathered in 2000. Five distinct PF trajectories were created using latent growth mixture modelling. Mortality- and covariate-adjusted multinomial regression models were used to estimate multinomial Odds Ratios (mOR) on the association between retirement characteristics and PF trajectories. Results A one-year increase in retirement age was associated with decreased likelihood of being classified in the ‘consistently low’ (fully adjusted mOR = 0.82; 95%CI = 0.70, 0.97; P = 0.007), ‘intermediate and declining’ (mOR = 0.89; 95%CI = 0.83, 0.96; P = 0.002), and ‘high and declining’ (mOR = 0.92; 95%CI = 0.87, 0.98; P = 0.006) trajectories, relative to the ‘intact’ PF trajectory. Compared to old age pensioners, disability pensioners were more likely to be classified in the ‘consistently low’ (mOR = 23.77; 95% CI 2.13, 265.04; P = 0.010), ‘intermediate and declining’ (mOR = 8.24; 95%CI = 2.58, 26.35; P < 0.001), and ‘high and declining’ (mOR = 2.71; 95%CI = 1.17, 6.28; P = 0.020) PF trajectories, relative to the ‘intact’ PF trajectory. Conclusions Among executives and managers, older age at retirement was associated with better trajectories of PF in old age. Compared to old age pensioners, those transitioning into disability and early old age pensions were at risk of having consistently lower PF in old age.

Trajectories of hospitalizations after age-based statutory retirement

“…Similar studies on objectively measured health after statutory retirement using register data are either rare or non-existent. One previous study aimed to identify trajectory groups of self-reported physical health among retired managers and executives (Haapanen et al 2022 ). In contrast to our study, no clear improving or declining trajectory groups were identified.…”

“…In the current study, older age at retirement was associated with belonging to the trajectory of constant high hospitalizations. Haapanen et al ( 2022 ) found older age at retirement to be associated with belonging to trajectories with better health, while Szabó et al ( 2019 ) found no association between group membership and age at retirement. Two opposing effects may be behind these contradictory results.…”

“…In other words, the healthy worker effect may have played a role here (Wilcosky and Wing 1987 ; Li and Sung 1999 ). As disability retirees were included in the study of Haapanen et al ( 2022 ), it is a strength that our focus was on statutory retirees only—a more homogeneous group who presumably retire with better health. Thus, it is difficult to make direct comparisons because the retirement age of disability retirees is typically considerably lower, and because an illness is a prerequisite for disability retirement.…”

“…However, some studies have identified trajectories of other domains of physical health after and around retirement. Haapanen et al ( 2022 ) examined trajectories of physical functioning among retired business executives and managers and identified five distinct groups: intact, high stable, high and declining, intermediate and declining, and consistently low. Those on the more favourable trajectories were younger and healthier, and more commonly on statutory retirement and less commonly on disability retirement than those with worse physical functioning trajectories.…”

Concurrent changes in physical activity and physical functioning during retirement transition–a multi-trajectory analysis

“…There have been some studies regarding physical functioning and retirement, but the results have been inconsistent. In a Finnish study male managers have been followed around their retirement and five trajectories of physical functioning were identified using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36): “intact” (9%); “high and stable” (32%); “high and declining”(30%); “intermediate and declining”(24%) and “consistently low”(6%) [ 8 ]. Another Finnish study has followed women around their retirement transition reporting decrease in physical functioning associated with older age but without any visible effect of retirement [ 9 ].…”