Study: Poor work ability in middle age predictor of health deterioration
Jyvaskyla, Finland (AHN) – A study nearly 30 years in the making has found poor work ability in middle age can be linked to an accelerated deterioration of health and functioning in old age.
Finnish researchers studied middle-aged white-collar and blue-collar employees and found a person’s work ability in midlife might predict their risk of death or disability.
“We found that work ability in midlife predicted decline in health and functioning among men and women during the 28-year follow-up even after adjustments for health and lifestyle factors,” according to one of the co-authors, Dr. Mikaela von Bonsdorff with the Gerontology Research Centre at the University of Jyvaskyla.
The risks were similar for both blue- and white-collar employees; however the risk of death was generally higher among blue-collar employees. The findings show that perceived work ability in midlife correlated with mortality among blue-collar and white-collar employees, and work ability in midlife can be an early predictor of functioning in old age.
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