Employed older adults are found to be generally healthier than unemployed or retired older adults, according to a University of Miami study published in Preventing Chronic Disease.
Pooled data on 83,338 adults aged 65 or older from the 1997 through 2011 National Health Interview Surveys shows that being unemployed or retired was associated with the greatest risk of poor health across all health status measures - even after making adjustments for smoking status, obesity, and other predictors of health.
Physically demanding occupations had the lowest risk of poor health outcomes, according to the report. Service workers had the lowest risk of multiple functional limitations, and blue collar workers had the lowest risk of having multiple chronic conditions and multiple functional limitations.
According to researchers, the lower likelihood of multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations among blue collar workers than among white collar workers might reflect the benefit of increased amounts of physical activity in the workplace versus the mostly sedentary work of white collar jobs. Researchers also found that for workers with jobs with lower status and pay, employment can be beneficial to the worker's health by increasing social support and income and by providing more comprehensive health insurance.
As a growing number of older adults stay active in the workforce, the researchers suggest the need to address the needs of the aging workforce.
"Older adults who continue working tend to be much healthier across multiple health outcomes, but perhaps providing better workplace accommodations for older adults with functional limitations would allow more of them to join the ranks of their healthier peers," the researchers say.