Work ability of middle-aged Finnish construction workers – a follow-up study in 1991–1995

Work ability index and perceived work ability as predictors of disability pension: a prospective study among Finnish municipal employees

“…Our findings concerning the significance of WAI in relation to disability retirement are in line with several previous reports (3,4,26,27). Among the studies on both WAI and WAS predating disability retirement, ours is the first to use longitudinal data on work ability.…”

“…Nowadays, WAI is commonly used worldwide for assessing work ability. WAI has also shown predictive value in the sense that a decreased WAI level increases the likelihood of premature retirement and death (2,3,4). However, multi-item measures such as WAI have disadvantages in terms of implementation, interpretation, and cost (5).…”

Screening manual and office workers for risk of long-term sickness absence: cut-off points for the Work Ability Index

“…The Work Ability Index (WAI) is widely used to measure work ability. Several studies have associated poor WAI scores with an increased risk of disability pension (6)(7)(8)(9). As LTSA precedes disability pension, it is conceivable that poor WAI scores also predict LTSA.…”

Development trajectories of Finnish managers’ work ability over a 10-year follow-up period

“…In prospective studies, it has been found to predict sick leave (15,16), as well as work disability (17), early retirement (17,18), and mortality (9,17). In investigating changes in work ability, the research performed thus far has been based predominantly on a variable-centered approach.…”

“…As a result, changes in work ability have been investigated on a group level as changes in the mean scores of the work ability index. In this respect, previous research has shown that mean scores of the index are lower for older age groups of employees (5,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) and for employees with physically demanding work (5,21). However, by analyzing the mean scores in predefined groups, information is gained only regarding the common trends, and, for example, there is a risk that any atypical development paths of work ability remain undetected.…”