TY - JOUR

T1 - History of working conditions and the risk of old-age dependency

T2 - a nationwide Swedish register-based study

AU - Nilsen, Charlotta

AU - Agerholm, Janne

AU - Kelfve, Susanne

AU - Wastesson, Jonas W.

AU - KÅreholt, Ingemar

AU - Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten

AU - Meinow, Bettina

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) 2023.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Aims: There is substantial evidence that previous working conditions influence post-retirement health, yet little is known about previous working conditions’ association with old-age dependency. We examined job strain, hazardous and physical demands across working life, in relation to the risk of entering old-age dependency of care. Methods: Individually linked nationwide Swedish registers were used to identify people aged 70+ who were not receiving long-term care (residential care or homecare) at baseline (January 2014). Register information on job titles between the years 1970 and 2010 was linked with a job exposure matrix of working conditions. Random effects growth curve models were used to calculate intra-individual trajectories of working conditions. Cox regression models with age as the timescale (adjusted for living situation, educational attainment, country of birth, and sex) were conducted to estimate hazard ratios for entering old-age dependency during the 24 months of follow-up (n = 931,819). Results: Having initial adverse working conditions followed by an accumulation throughout working life encompassed the highest risk of entering old-age dependency across the categories (job strain: HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.19–1.27; physical demands: HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.31–1.40, and hazardous work: HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.30–1.40). Initially high physical demands or hazardous work followed by a stable trajectory, or initially low-level physical demand or hazardous work followed by an accumulation throughout working life also encompassed a higher risk of dependency. Conclusions: A history of adverse working conditions increased the risk of old-age dependency. Reducing the accumulation of adverse working conditions across the working life may contribute to postponing old-age dependency.

AB - Aims: There is substantial evidence that previous working conditions influence post-retirement health, yet little is known about previous working conditions’ association with old-age dependency. We examined job strain, hazardous and physical demands across working life, in relation to the risk of entering old-age dependency of care. Methods: Individually linked nationwide Swedish registers were used to identify people aged 70+ who were not receiving long-term care (residential care or homecare) at baseline (January 2014). Register information on job titles between the years 1970 and 2010 was linked with a job exposure matrix of working conditions. Random effects growth curve models were used to calculate intra-individual trajectories of working conditions. Cox regression models with age as the timescale (adjusted for living situation, educational attainment, country of birth, and sex) were conducted to estimate hazard ratios for entering old-age dependency during the 24 months of follow-up (n = 931,819). Results: Having initial adverse working conditions followed by an accumulation throughout working life encompassed the highest risk of entering old-age dependency across the categories (job strain: HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.19–1.27; physical demands: HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.31–1.40, and hazardous work: HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.30–1.40). Initially high physical demands or hazardous work followed by a stable trajectory, or initially low-level physical demand or hazardous work followed by an accumulation throughout working life also encompassed a higher risk of dependency. Conclusions: A history of adverse working conditions increased the risk of old-age dependency. Reducing the accumulation of adverse working conditions across the working life may contribute to postponing old-age dependency.

KW - dependency

KW - later life

KW - long-term care

KW - longitudinal

KW - Older age

KW - physical working conditions

KW - psychosocial working conditions

KW - Sweden

KW - work-related stress

U2 - 10.1177/14034948231188999

DO - 10.1177/14034948231188999

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37537973

AN - SCOPUS:85166902323

JO - Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Supplement

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Supplement

SN - 1403-4956

ER -