11 research outputs found
Health and prolonging working lives: an advisory report of the Health Council of The Netherlands
Objective This paper summarizes the main findings and recommendations of an advisory report on health and
prolonging working life, which was requested by the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment.
Methods The advisory report was compiled by a multidisciplinary committee of ten scientists appointed by the
Health Council of The Netherlands. The committee's aims were to (i) describe the health of the ageing population, (ii) describe how prolonging working life influences health, (iii) describe determinants, besides health,
for prolonging working lives, and (iv) review the literature on interventions aimed at retaining or improving
employability of older workers.
Results The report was presented to the Minister on 26 June 2018. As the likelihood of health problems increases
with age, prolonging working life may be difficult. In general, life expectancy increases and gains in life years and
health seem mainly attributable to people aged >75 years. Work is good for mental health. However, it may be
beneficial for mental health to stop working around the retirement age. Besides health, financial factors, lifestyle,
motivation to work, and working conditions play a role in prolonging working life. A systematic review of the
evidence indicated that interventions such as worksite health promotion or career development workshops can
support older workers in this matter.
Conclusions The Health Council advised the Dutch Government to focus on worksite health promotion and
career development interventions as well as the improvement of their implementation. This requires a tailored
approach as there is a large diversity in health among older workers and particularly between low- and higheducated people. With this in mind, it was further recommended to explore whether flexible pension schemes
might better suit this diversit
Comparing JEMs in population-based studies: What if expert assessment and measurements are not available? Authors' response
Comparison of expert and job-exposure matrix-based retrospective exposure assessment of occupational carcinogens in the Netherlands Cohort Study
Objectives Reliable retrospective exposure assessment
continues to be a challenge in most population-based
studies. Several methodologies exist for estimating
exposures retrospectively, of which case-by-case expert
assessment and job-exposure matrices (JEMs) are
commonly used. This study evaluated the reliability of
exposure estimates for selected carcinogens obtained
through three JEMs by comparing the estimates with
case-by-case expert assessment within the Netherlands
Cohort Study (NLCS).
Methods The NLCS includes 58 279 men aged
55e69 years at enrolment in 1986. For a subcohort of
these men (n¼1630), expert assessment is available for
exposure to asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) and welding fumes. Reliability of the different
JEMs (DOMJEM (asbestos, PAHs), FINJEM (asbestos,
PAHs and welding fumes) and Asbestos JEM (asbestos)
was determined by assessing the agreement between
these JEMs and the expert assessment.
Results Expert assessment revealed the lowest
prevalence of exposure for all three exposures (asbestos
9.3%; PAHs 5.3%; welding fumes 11.7%). The DOMJEM
showed the highest level of agreement with the expert
assessment for asbestos and PAHs (ks¼0.29 and 0.42,
respectively), closely followed by the FINJEM. For
welding fumes, concordance between the expert
assessment and FINJEM was high (k¼0.70). The
Asbestos JEM showed poor agreement with the expert
asbestos assessment (k¼0.10).
Conclusions This study shows case-by-case expert
assessment to result in the lowest prevalence of
occupational exposure in the NLCS. Furthermore, the
DOMJEM and FINJEM proved to be rather similar in
agreement when compared with the expert assessment.
The Asbestos JEM appeared to be less appropriate for
use in the NLCS
The impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers’ fatigue, work enjoyment and retirement intentions over time
Unshrouding the Sphere from the Clouds: Towards a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Employability
Fatigue and job stress as predictors for sickness absence during common infections.
Contains fulltext :
47847.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of health and work-related factors as predictors of subsequent sickness absence when experiencing common infections (common cold, flu-like illness, and gastroenteritis). Self-administered questionnaire data were used (baseline n = 12,140). To perform the analysis, employees reporting common infections in the final questionnaire were selected. Employees reporting sickness absence due to common infections were compared with a group who stayed at work during an infection. Multivariate survival analysis revealed no significant effects of job demands, decision latitude, or job strain on absence in workers experiencing common infections. Low levels of commitment (risk [RR] 1.22; confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.44) and low job satisfaction (RR 1.36; CI 1.13-1.164) increased the chance of being absent during a common cold. Also, having a long-standing disease (RR 1.22; CI 1.05-1.41) and fatigue (RR 1.20; CI 1.05-1.37) increased the chance of being absent during a common infection. Having an executive function decreased the chance of being absent. We conclude that absence during a common cold is partly influenced by motivational factors in work, in contrast to more severe common infections which are more health related. Insight in factors related to absenteeism are important as a start for preventive measures to reduce sickness absence