New dimensions of work ability (original) (raw)
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Work ability—a comprehensive concept for occupational health research and prevention
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 2009
The use of the work ability index began in the early 1980s in Finland. The basic scientific question was how long workers and employees are able to work and to what extent being able to work depends on the work content and job demands. In those days, job-dependent retirement ages from 53 years (deep sea divers) to 63 years (administrative jobs) were common in Finnish municipal occupations. The early-retirement options were rather broad, and the costs of work disability tended to increase. The public discussion was dominated by a fear of an increasing trend towards work disability and a shortening of work careers due to a variety of reasons, not only medical in nature. A social need for a new, positive approach was obvious, as represented by work ability. Using the stress-strain concept, a multidisciplinary study group developed and validated the work ability index and started studies among municipal employees (N=6257) over 45 years of age and repeated them in 1985, 1991, and 1997 (1, 2). One of the main findings was that the mean work ability index declined significantly among 30% of the participants, remained rather unchanged among 60%, and improved among 10% over an 11-year period for both genders, as well as for physically, mentally, or mixed (physical and mental) demanding jobs. A logistic regression model indicated that factors related to management, ergonomics, and lifestyle explained both the decline and improvement in work ability during aging (3, 4). The consequences of the findings were significant and long lasting. First, the Finnish social partners agreed in 1989 about the maintenance and promotion of work ability in workplaces. Second, the promotion concept of work ability was created and validated in private, municipal, and government branches (5).Third, occupational health professionals, physicians, and nurses, were trained by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in the use of the work ability index. After 1993, translations of the questionnaire for the work ability index were used by Austrian and Dutch research groups, and, today, this questionnaire is available in 26 languages. The use of the index has become common in research worldwide. The Ageing and Work Committee of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and the Aging Committee of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) served as important platforms for further implementation of the work ability index internationally. The number of publications of scientific conferences and symposia dealing with the work ability index is considerable .
he work ability index and functional capacity among older workers
Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 2013
| Background: Decreases in functional ability due to aging can impair work capacity and productivity among older workers. Objective: This study compares the sociodemographics, health conditions, and physical functioning abilities of young and old workers as well as correlates of physical functioning capacity with the work ability index (WAI). Method: This exploratory, cross-sectional study examined employees of a higher education institution (HEI) and those of a metallurgical industry. Older workers (50 years old or above) were matched for gender and occupation type with younger workers (less than 50 years old). The following evaluations were applied: the multidimensional assessment questionnaire (which included sociodemographic, clinical, health perception, and physical health indices), the WAI, and a battery of physical functional tests. Results: Diseases and regularly used medications were more common among the group of aging workers. The WAI did not differ between groups (p=0.237). Both groups showed similar physical functional capacity performances with regard to walking speed, muscle strength, and lower limb physical functioning. Aging workers showed a poorer performance on a test of right-leg support (p=0.004). The WAI was moderately correlated with the sit-to-stand test among older female workers (r=0.573, p=0.051). Conclusions: Unfavorable general health conditions did not affect the assessment of work ability or most of the tests of physical functional capacity in the aging group.
Work ability and psychosocial factors in healthcare settings: Results from a national study
Interactions between the ageing process, heath status, lifestyle and work strongly influence the work ability. In this paper, the healthcare workers were the selected professional group and their Work Ability was analysed in order to develop Portuguese reference values and to determine the influence of socio-demographic and psychosocial factors in the WAI. The methodology encompassed the work ability analysis using the Portuguese Version of the Work Ability Index and the characterization of the psychosocial factors using the Portuguese Version of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. The sample included 1016 individuals from Portuguese hospitals with different professional categories. In average our sample had good work ability. WAI did not correlate with age. Among those with better WAI, physicians and nursing aides were the seniors, pointing to a probable healthy worker effect. The COPSOQ showed critical values in the scales’ cognitive and emotional demands. The scales quantitati...
BMC Public Health, 2013
Background: Public authorities in European countries are paying increasing attention to the promotion of work ability throughout working life and the best method to monitor work ability in populations of workers is becoming a significant question. The present study aims to compare the assessment of work ability based on the use of the Work Ability Index (WAI), a 7-item questionnaire, with another one based on the use of WAI's first item, which consists in the worker's self-assessment of his/her current work ability level as opposed to his/her lifetime best, this single question being termed "Work Ability score" (WAS). Methods: Using a database created by an occupational health service, the study intends to answer the following questions: could the assessment of work ability be based on a single-item measure and which are the variables significantly associated with self-reported work ability among those systematically recorded by the occupational physician during health examinations? A logistic regression model was used in order to estimate the probability of observing "poor" or "moderate" WAI levels depending on age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, position held, firm size and diseases reported by the worker in a population of workers aged 40 to 65 and examined between Results: The convergent validity between WAS and WAI was statistically significant (rs=0.63). In the multivariable model, age (p<0.001), reported diseases (OR=1.13, 95%CI [1.11-1.15]) and holding a position mostly characterized by physical activity (OR=1.67, 95%CI [1.49-1.87]) increased the probability of reporting moderate or poor work ability. A work position characterized by the predominance of mental activity (OR=0.71, 95%CI [0.61-0.84]) had a favourable impact on work ability. These relations were observed regardless of the work ability measurement tool used.
The effects of work-related and individual factors on work ability
Selected papers of the 3rd International Symposium on Work Ability, Hanoi, Vietnam, 22-24 October 2007, 2008
Objectives. This paper systematically reviews the scientific literature on the effects of individual and work related factors on the work ability index. Methods. Studies on work ability published from 1985 to 2006 were identified through a structured search in PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were included if the Work Ability Index (WAI) was used as measure of work ability (defined by the extent to which a worker's capabilities is matched by the demands at work) and if quantitative information was presented on determinants of work ability. The methodological quality of studies was assessed. Results. In total, 20 studies were included with 14 cross-sectional studies and 6 longitudinal studies. Factors associated with a poor work ability, as defined by WAI were lack of leisure-time vigorous physical activity, poor musculoskeletal capacity, older age, obesity, high mental work demands, lack of autonomy, poor physical work environment, and high physical work load. No differences were found in quality of the study for study design, type of determinant or significance of reported associations. Conclusion. The work ability index is associated with individual characteristics, lifestyle, demands at work, and physical condition. This multifactorial nature of work ability should be taken into account in health promotion programmes aimed at maintaining and promoting the participation of the labour force and improvement of the performance at work. on 10 December 2008 oem.bmj.com Downloaded from
Associations between functional capacity and work ability among elderly municipal employees
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
The relationship between objectively measured physical and mental functional capacity and work ability was studied among 137 workers with a mean age of 55 years. Of the physical capacity tests muscular strength correlated the best with the constructed work ability index. Cardiorespiratory capacity and work ability did not correlate statistically significantly. About 50% of the subjects was classified uniformly, and less than 10% not uniformly, with respect to muscular strength. The correlation between cardiorespiratory capacity and work ability was significant for those without, but not for those with, a musculoskeletal disease. The mental capacity tests had systematically lower correlations with work ability than the tests for physical capacity. The highest statistically significant correlation was found between visuomotor speed and work ability. Objective measurements of muscular strength seem useful for defining work ability, but other tests need to be improved to be more work-re...
Work ability in ageing workers suffering from chronic diseases
International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics : JOSE, 2006
The aim of this study was to investigate the work ability in ageing workers suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), coronary heart disease (CHD) or hypertension (H). One hundred and sixty-six OA and 355 CHD/H outpatients were evaluated. The Work Ability Index (WAI) served for work ability assessment. Patients' results were compared with the results of a control group of 225 healthy young workers. Statistical analysis was performed with ANOVA tests. WAI in female and male CHD/H patients was higher than in OA patients (p < .01), better work ability was related to better education (p < .01), white-collar work (p < .01) and better recreation (p < .01); subjective work ability was determined mostly by the objective health status. The promotion of work ability among workers suffering from advanced age-related diseases should be closely related to the promotion of health. It is indicative to improve occupational education and skills, already at an early stage of a disease.
Occupational Medicine, 2006
Our multidisciplinary study group (occupational physiology, psychology, medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics) started cross-sectional studies among municipal employees in 1981. The study participants were followed for 16 years [1,2]. Since the beginning, the use of Work Ability Index (WAI) both in research and practice has widened to various countries, and the index has been translated into 24 languages. Description The WAI is an instrument used in clinical occupational health and research to assess work ability during health examinations and workplace surveys. The index is determined on the basis of the answers to a series of questions which take into consideration the demands of work, the worker's health status and resources. The worker completes the questionnaire before the interview with an occupational health professional who rates the responses according to the instructions [9]. WAI is a summary measure of seven items (range 7-49) (Table 1).
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2011
P rospective studies with a follow-up time stretching from midlife to old age have shown that lower socioeconomic status, as indicated by lower education level or occupational grade, predicts a decline in health and functioning in the working population. 1-4 This association is similar, if not more pronounced, in old age. Higher levels of work-related mental and physical strain increase the risk of early retirement and predict a decline in health and an increase in mortality among the working population. However, the association between the demands of the work in conjunction with inadequate mental or physical resources (i.e., work ability) and health and functioning in old age has not been studied. 17 Using a population-based 28-year follow-up study involving middle-aged municipal employees, we investigated whether work ability in midlife predicts the risk of death and disability during old age among white-collar and blue-collar employees.
Age Changes in Subjective Work Ability
International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 2009
This article explores the influence of psychosocial work environment on age-related subjective changes in work ability and discusses differences between work ability and job performance. The results show age and physical health to be strong predictors of subjective decline in work ability. The age effect is independent of age-associated declining health. It is not clear what it is about age that produces the subjective decline in work ability. While primary age changes may produce decline, stereotypes and self-stereotypes about ageing may also be important. Among psychosocial factors, options for learning and problems at work are robust predictors of subjective changes in work ability. One practical consequence is to ensure learning opportunities for workers, even for workers approaching retirement age. By giving learning opportunities to senior workers, subjective work ability may be maintained, and competence acquired through learning may in a direct way support stability or impro...