Abstract
To be able to extend working lives, maintaining good health in older workers is important. The aim of the present study was to identify which work characteristics are associated with physical and mental health outcomes in older workers in the Netherlands, and particularly whether there are educational differences in these associations. We used longitudinal tobit and ordered logistic regression analyses to examine the associations between physical demands, psychosocial demands, variation in tasks, autonomy, and job strain and self-rated health (SRH), functional limitations, and depressive symptoms. We included interaction terms between the work characteristics and education to examine effect modification by education. We found that high physical demands, low variation in tasks, low autonomy, and high job strain were associated with poorer physical and mental health. We found evidence for educational differences in the exposure to these work characteristics, as well as in the strengths of their associations with health, with lower educated workers being disadvantaged. The associations between physical demands (SRH: OR = 3.70 (95%CI:1.92;7.11); functional limitations: B = 1.27 (95%CI:.47;2.07)), autonomy (SRH: OR = .42(95%CI:.26;.69)), and job strain (active job; SRH: OR = .25 (95%CI:.09;.69); functional limitations: B = -1.51 (95%CI:-2.68;-.34), and health were strongest in the lower educated workers. In order to maintain good health in older workers and reduce health inequalities, it is recommended to implement workplace interventions to improve working conditions, especially among the lower educated workers.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e0241051 |
Journal | PLoS ONE |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Funding
Funding:Thisresearchwasconductedwithinthe project“EXTEND—Socialinequalitiesinextending workinglivesofanageingworkforce”whichis fundedbyTheNetherlandsOrganisationforHealth ResearchandDevelopment(ZonMW,grant number:208060002)intheframeworkoftheJoint ProgrammingInitiative(JPI)“MoreYears,Better Lives—ThePotentialandChallengesof DemographicChange”.Thefundershadnorolein studydesign,datacollectionandanalysis,decision topublish,orpreparationofthemanuscript. This research was conducted within the project ?EXTEND?Social inequalities in extending working lives of an ageing workforce? which is funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW, grant number: 208060002) in the framework of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) ?More Years, Better Lives?The Potential and Challenges of Demographic Change?. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Funders | Funder number |
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ResearchandDevelopment | |
ZonMw | 208060002 |
Keywords
- Age Factors
- Educational Status
- Female
- Health Status
- Health Status Disparities
- Humans
- Longitudinal Studies
- Male
- Mental Health/statistics & numerical data
- Middle Aged
- Netherlands
- Occupational Health/statistics & numerical data
- Surveys and Questionnaires/statistics & numerical data
- Workplace/organization & administration