Summary of the Finnish research project (1981-1992) to promote the health and work ability of aging workers.

Abstract

The objective of the follow-up study on aging workers in municipal occupations in 1981 1992 was to seek means to prevent diseases and disability among workers approaching pension age and also means to maintain their health and work ability. The inquiry was based on the stress-strain model derived from stress theory and on work (1), life-style, health and aging from the point of view of the World Health Organization (2). Attention was focused on changes in work, life-style, health, stress symptoms and work ability and on the causes of such changes. The changes were examined with respect to age, gender, work content, and work profile. The promotion of health, and work ability was studied by examining factors associated with good and improved health and work ability. Means for prevention were sought by studying factors associated with poor and deteriorated health and work ability (3). Although, during the follow-up, cross-sectional studies were done in 1981, 1985 and 1992, the actual object of interest was changes occurring over the 1 1-year period between 1981 and 1992. The subjects (N = 6259) were born in 1923 1935. Their ages were 44 58 years at the beginning of the study, when they were active workers employed in over 40 different occupations. The occupations were grouped according to job analyses (4) into three work content groups (table 1) representing physically, mentally, and mixed physically and mentally demanding work. The occupations were further grouped into 13 work profile categories (4). During the followup, 6.3% of the subjects died, 29.6% retired on disability pensions, and 41.5% retired on old age pensions. Only 924 (14.8%) were employed in the same occupation during the entire follow-up.