The role of work ability and health on sustaining employability

This thesis aimed to contribute to the understanding of the role of decreased work ability and ill health on work participation and work performance of older workers. The longitudinal study on the role of four different health measures on exit from paid employment among workers aged 50 to 63 years old in 11 European countries showed, that controlling for individual and work related characteristics, poor self-perceived health was strongly associated with exit from paid employment. Focus group interviews (n=32) additionally showed that poor health and poor work circumstances are important in decisions to retire early, but social support and appreciative leadership style may be buffers in this process. Regarding determinants of work ability a literature review and cross-sectional analysis among white-collar workers was conducted. The literature review showed that factors associated with poor work ability index identified in 20 studies, were lack of leisure-time vigorous physical activity, older age, obesity, high mental and physical work demands. Among white-collar workers (n=1141) work ability was strongly associated with psychosocial factors at work, such as teamwork, stress handling, and self-development and, to a lesser extent, with stressful life events, lack of physical activity, and obesity. Decreased work ability had considerable consequences f

The effects of work-related and individual factors on the Work Ability Index: a systematic review.

This paper systematically reviews the scientific literature on the effects of individual and work-related factors on the Work Ability Index (WAI). Studies on work ability published from 1985 to 2006 were identified through a structured search in PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were included if the WAI was used as measure of work ability and if quantitative information was presented on determinants of work ability. In total, 20 studies were included with 14 cross-sectional studies and six longitudinal studies. Factors associated with poor work ability, as defined by WAI, were lack of leisure-time vigorous physical activity, poor musculoskeletal capacity, older age, obesity, high mental work demands, lack of autonomy, poor physical work environment, and high physical work load. The WAI is associated with individual characteristics, lifestyle, demands at