ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6142-5278
Current Organisation
University of Aberdeen
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-07-2022
Abstract: Governments need people to work to older ages, but the prevalence of chronic disease and comorbidity increases with age and impacts work ability. To investigate the effects of objective health diagnoses on exit from paid work amongst older workers. Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) is a population cohort of adults aged 50–64 years recruited from English GP practices which contribute to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Participants have completed questionnaires about health and work at baseline and annually for 2 years: their responses were linked with their objective health diagnoses from the CPRD and data analysed using Cox regression. Of 4888 HEAF participants ever in paid work, 580 (25%) men and 642 (25%) women exited employment, 277 of them mainly or partly for a health reason (health-related job loss (HRJL)). Amongst HEAF participants who remained in work (n = 3666) or who exited work but not for health reasons (n = 945), there was a similar prevalence of background health conditions. In men and women, HRJL was associated with inflammatory arthritis, sleep disorders, common mental health conditions and musculoskeletal pain. There were however gender differences: widespread pain and lower limb osteoarthritis were associated with HRJL in women but hypertension and cardiovascular disease in men. Improved diagnosis and management of common conditions might be expected to increase working lives. Workplace well-being interventions targeting obesity and increasing mobility might contribute to extended working lives. Employers of predominantly female, as compared with male workforces may need different strategies to retain older workers.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-09-2018
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 11-09-2020
DOI: 10.1136/OEMED-2020-106600
Abstract: Health and job satisfaction are key independent determinants of ability to work to older ages. We investigated the interaction of these two important factors on health-related job loss (HRJL) over 2 years of follow-up comparing male and female older workers. A population s le of adults aged 50–64 years, recruited from 24 English general practices in the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) study, completed questionnaires at baseline with follow-ups at 12 and 24 months. Multiple-record Cox proportional hazards models were performed to explore the main effects of, and potential interactions between, job satisfaction and self-rated health (SRH) as predictors of time to first HRJL. Of the initial 8134 participants, 5143 were ever in work in the study period. Among men, 5.7% and 14.3% reported job dissatisfaction (those in good and poor SRH, respectively), while among women these percentages were 4.6 and 12.9. HRJL was reported by 106 men and 176 women. Men in good health dissatisfied with their job had a sixfold (HR=6.4 95% CI 3.3 to 12.4) increased risk of HRJL compared with men satisfied with their job (significant multiplicative interaction). Women dissatisfied with their job were more likely to have an HRJL within 2 years of follow-up irrespective of their SRH. SRH and job dissatisfaction have important in idual effects on the risk of stopping work for health among older workers. These findings point to the importance of job satisfaction in reducing health-related exit from paid work among older workers.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-01-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S12889-022-12541-1
Abstract: Lower birth rates and increasing longevity have resulted in ageing populations in European countries. These demographic changes place challenges on pension provision as numbers of those who are economically inactive and retired increase relative to those in paid work. Therefore, governments need workers to postpone retirement and work to older ages. Whilst health and wealth are important in retirement decision-making, considerably less is known about the effects of workplace factors. The aim of this study was to explore the views of recent UK retirees about the role that work-related factors played in their decision to retire. This qualitative study was nested within the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) cohort. People who had retired 3-6 years previously (not for health reasons) were purposively s led to obtain the views of men and women from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and jobs. Semi-structured interviews were carried out by telephone using a pre-defined topic guide. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Seventeen interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis showed that retirement decisions were complex and multi-factorial but that work-related factors contributed to decision-making in two main ways. First, some work factors pushed participants towards retirement. These were perceptions that: workplace change had affected the way they were valued or increased pressure on them work demands, including commuting, had intruded excessively on personal time, effects that were exacerbated by modern technology work was draining, isolating or under-appreciated and /or that work was causing physical strain or discomfort relative to their perception of their capacity. In contrast, work factors could also cause participants to pull back towards work, particularly: autonomy supportive work colleagues a sense of being appreciated and perceived job flexibility. Recent retirees explained that their decision to retire was multi-factorial but work-related factors contributed importantly. Potentially, employers could: review workers’ perceptions about their work their capacity in relation to job demands increase flexibility and facilitate a supportive work community to encourage longer working lives.
Publisher: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health
Date: 12-08-2018
DOI: 10.5271/SJWEH.3762
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-12-2021
Abstract: UK Biobank (UKB) is a large prospective cohort capturing numerous health outcomes, but limited occupational information (job title, self-reported manual work and occupational walking/standing). To create and evaluate validity of a linkage between UKB and a job exposure matrix for physical work exposures based on the US Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database. Job titles and UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes were collected during UKB baseline assessment visits. Using existing crosswalks, UK SOC codes were mapped to US SOC codes allowing linkage to O*NET variables capturing numerous dimensions of physical work. Job titles with the highest O*NET scores were assessed to evaluate face validity. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were calculated to compare O*NET scores to self-reported UKB measures. Among 324 114 participants reporting job titles, 323 936 were linked to O*NET. Expected relationships between scores and self-reported measures were observed. For static strength (0–7 scale), the median O*NET score was 1.0 (e.g. audiologists), with a highest score of 4.88 for stone masons and a positive correlation with self-reported heavy manual work (Spearman’s coefficient = 0.50). For time spent standing (1–5 scale), the median O*NET score was 2.72 with a highest score of 5 for cooks and a positive correlation with self-reported occupational walking/standing (Spearman’s coefficient = 0.56). While most jobs were not physically demanding, a wide range of physical work values were assigned to a erse set of jobs. This novel linkage of a job exposure matrix to UKB provides a potentially valuable tool for understanding relationships between occupational exposures and disease.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-03-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12889-021-10610-5
Abstract: Loneliness is an important public health issue associated with mortality and morbidity. Often researched amongst older people, less is known about risk factors for loneliness among adults aged 50–64 years who are in work. We investigated (a) if exit from the workforce increases the odds of loneliness (b) whether adverse psychosocial work factors are associated with increased odds of loneliness over 2 years of follow-up and (c) whether the association is stronger among subjects still working compared with those who have exited the workforce. Data came from the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) study, a large population cohort who provided questionnaire information about work and health at baseline and 2 annual follow-ups. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between psychosocial risk factors and loneliness at follow-up 2, with adjustment for loneliness at baseline, sex, age, self-rated health, living alone, and mental health diagnosis. Of the initial 8134 participants, 4521 were working at baseline and provided data for this analysis. Of those, 507 (11.2%) were defined as lonely at 2 years’ follow-up. Exiting the workforce was not significantly associated with loneliness (OR = 1.1, 95%CI: 0.7–1.7). However, negative psychosocial work factors predicted loneliness at follow-up. After mutual adjustment, lack of choice at work (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1–1.9), often lying awake worrying about work (OR: 1.4, 95%CI: 1.0–1.9) and perceived not coping with physical demands of the job (OR: 1.3, 95%CI: 1.0–1.7) were independent predictors, with associations robust to adjustment for demographic factors and health. Associations were only slightly altered when we restricted the s le to those who remained in work until the end of follow-up. Loneliness amongst middle-aged working adults is not predicted by permanent work exit but is predicted by in iduals’ perceptions about their work. Provision of good-quality work, matched to the capacity of the older worker, could prevent loneliness.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-04-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-10-2023
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Martin Stevens.