A study of the health of older adults in the transition from work to retirement (original) (raw)
Related papers
Health and Employment after Fifty (HEAF): a new prospective cohort study
BMC Public Health, 2015
Background: Demographic trends in developed countries have prompted governmental policies aimed at extending working lives. However, working beyond the traditional retirement age may not be feasible for those with major health problems of ageing, and depending on occupational and personal circumstances, might be either good or bad for health. To address these uncertainties, we have initiated a new longitudinal study. Methods/design: We recruited some 8000 adults aged 50-64 years from 24 British general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Participants have completed questionnaires about their work and home circumstances at baseline, and will do so regularly over follow-up, initially for a 5-year period. With their permission, we will access their primary care health records via the CPRD. The interrelation of changes in employment (with reasons) and changes in health (e.g., major new illnesses, new treatments, mortality) will be examined. Discussion: CPRD linkage allows cost-effective frequent capture of detailed objective health data with which to examine the impact of health on work at older ages and of work on health. Findings will inform government policy and also the design of work for older people and the measures needed to support employment in later life, especially for those with health limitations.
Later-life employment trajectories and health
Advances in Life Course Research
Background: Despite the recent policy push to keep older adults in the labour force, we know almost nothing about the potential health consequences of working longer. Drawing on a life course approach that considers stability and change in employment patterns, this study examines the relationship between long-term labour market involvement in later life and self-rated health. Methods: Our data are from the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2012) for the cohort born 1931-1941 (N = 6522). We used optimal matching analysis to map employment trajectories from ages 52-69, and then logistic regression to examine associations between these trajectories and self-rated health in the early 70s, net of socio-demographics, household resources and prior health. Findings: Women prevail in groups characterized by a weak(er) attachment to the labour market and men, in groups signifying a strong(er) attachment. Men who downshifted from full-time to part-time work around age 65 were the least likely to report poor health in their early 70s.Women had the best health if they remained employed, either full-time or part-time. However, unlike men, they appeared to benefit most in health terms when part-time hours were part of a longer-term pattern. Conclusion: While our study findings show that continuing to work in later life may be positively associated with health, they also suggest the need for flexible employment policies that foster opportunities to work part-time.
2008
In addition, we would like to thank Jibby Medina for her contribution as editor of this report, and both Martina Portanti at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Danielle Mason at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for their helpful comments on drafts of this report. Thanks also are due to Sarah Tipping, Gerry Nicolaas, Julia Hall and Dave Hussey at the Survey Methods Unit, and to all members of the computing and operations departments at the NatCen who have worked so hard to implement the study and to our interviewers and survey nurses who carry out the fieldwork. The people who matter most to us are our participants. They have given generously of their time and most have agreed to be recontacted. We hope that they find participation in the study interesting and that they will help us to track through the changes that happen as people age. We are very grateful to them.
Decisions around retirement and continued labour market participation are of great significance for those who make them, as well as policy-makers, researchers, welfare states and pension programmes. The literature acknowledges the multi-faceted nature of these choices and particularly the interaction of key variablesjob satisfaction, financial status, caring responsibilities, spouse's plans, and health. This paper explores this latter factor, challenging assumptions that it can be treated as an unproblematic independent variable. Analysing qualitative data from interviews with 96 people approaching or in the midst of retirement, the subjective experience of health and its effect on decisions was strongly evident. The socialised contextas shaped at societal, organisational, household and individual-life-historical levelswas crucial in understanding how similar symptoms of morbidity resulted in widely varying decisions/outcomes. Direct interpersonal experiences, shaped by social structures, were useful in explaining the prevalence of health pessimism, despite general increases in life expectancy.
A Global View on the Effects of Work on Health in Later Life
The Gerontologist, 2016
Work is an important environment shaping the aging processes during the adult years. Therefore, the cumulative and acute effects of work characteristics on late-life health deserve great attention. Given that population aging has become a global trend with ensuing changes in labor markets around the world, increased attention is paid to investigating the effects of the timing of retirement around the world and the macroeconomic benefits often associated with delaying retirement. It will be essential for societies with aging populations to maintain productivity given an aging workforce and for individuals it will be crucial to add healthy and meaningful years rather than just years to their lives. We first describe the available evidence about participation of older workers (65+) in the labor force in high, middle, and low-income countries. Second, we discuss the individual-level and societal influences that might govern labor-force participation of older adults. Thirdly, we review e...
Health, lifestyle and employment beyond state-pension age
BMC public health, 2017
The factors influencing one's choice to retire vary, with financial and health considerations being some of the main factors impacting or associated with people's timing of retirement. The aim of the study is to investigate the differences in current health and health-related behaviours, such as smoking, drinking and exercising, between people who kept on working beyond state-pension age and those who retired before or at state-pension age. Data from six waves (2003, 2008-2012) of the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) are used. Descriptive analyses were used to characterise the population. Multivariate logistic regression was undertaken to analyse the relationship between retirement groups and gender, age, deprivation, marital status, housing tenure, general health, longstanding illness, cigarette smoking status, amount of exercise and mental health, using Stata. Reporting poor self-rated health or having a long-standing illness was associated with increased odds of retiring bef...
2021
BackgroundAustralians born in 2012 can expect to live about 33 years longer than those born 100 years earlier. However, only seven of these additional years are spent in the workforce. Longer life expectancy has driven policies to extend working life and increase retirement age, the current Australian policy, which has increased the eligibility for the pension from 65 to 67 by 2023, assumes that an improvement in longevity corresponds with an improvement in health expectancy. However, there is mixed evidence of health trends in Australia over the past two decades. Although some health outcomes are improving among older age groups, many are either stable or deteriorating. This raises the question of how health trends intersect with policy for older Australians aged from 50-70. This paper considers the interplay between older workers’ health and workforce participation rates over the past 15 years when extended workforce participation has been actively encouraged. MethodsWe compared h...