Frailty, prefrailty and employment outcomes in Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) Study
Frailty, prefrailty and employment outcomes in Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) Study
Objectives Demographic changes are requiring people to work longer. No previous studies, however, have focused on whether the ‘frailty’ phenotype (which predicts adverse events in the elderly) is associated with employment difficulties. To provide information, we assessed associations in the Health and Employment After Fifty Study, a population-based cohort of 50–65-year olds.
Methods Subjects, who were recruited from 24 English general practices, completed a baseline questionnaire on ‘prefrailty’ and ‘frailty’ (adapted Fried criteria) and several work outcomes, including health-related job loss (HRJL), prolonged sickness absence (>20 days vs less, past 12 months), having to cut down substantially at work and difficulty coping with work's demands. Associations were assessed using logistic regression and population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated.
Results In all, 3.9% of 8095 respondents were classed as ‘frail’ and 31.6% as ‘prefrail’. Three-quarters of the former were not in work, while 60% had left their last job on health grounds (OR for HRJL vs non-frail subjects, 30.0 (95% CI 23.0 to 39.2)). Among those in work, ORs for prolonged sickness absence, cutting down substantially at work and struggling with work's physical demands ranged from 10.7 to 17.2. The PAF for HRJL when any frailty marker was present was 51.8% and that for prolonged sickness absence was 32.5%. Associations were strongest with slow reported walking speed. Several associations were stronger in manual workers than in managers.
Conclusions Fried frailty symptoms are not uncommon in mid-life and are strongly linked with economically important adverse employment outcomes. Frailty could represent an important target for prevention.
476-482
Palmer, Keith
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D'angelo, Stefania
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Harris, E. Clare
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Linaker, Catherine
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Gale, Catharine
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Evandrou, Maria
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Syddall, Holly
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van Staa, Tjeerd
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Aihie Sayer, Avan
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Coggon, David
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Walker-Bone, Karen
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July 2017
Palmer, Keith
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D'angelo, Stefania
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Harris, E. Clare
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Linaker, Catherine
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Gale, Catharine
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Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Syddall, Holly
a0181a93-8fc3-4998-a996-7963f0128328
van Staa, Tjeerd
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Aihie Sayer, Avan
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Coggon, David
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Walker-Bone, Karen
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Palmer, Keith, D'angelo, Stefania, Harris, E. Clare, Linaker, Catherine, Gale, Catharine, Evandrou, Maria, Syddall, Holly, van Staa, Tjeerd, Cooper, Cyrus, Aihie Sayer, Avan, Coggon, David and Walker-Bone, Karen
(2017)
Frailty, prefrailty and employment outcomes in Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) Study.
Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 74 (7), .
(doi:10.1136/oemed-2016-104103).
(PMID:28062832)
Abstract
Objectives Demographic changes are requiring people to work longer. No previous studies, however, have focused on whether the ‘frailty’ phenotype (which predicts adverse events in the elderly) is associated with employment difficulties. To provide information, we assessed associations in the Health and Employment After Fifty Study, a population-based cohort of 50–65-year olds.
Methods Subjects, who were recruited from 24 English general practices, completed a baseline questionnaire on ‘prefrailty’ and ‘frailty’ (adapted Fried criteria) and several work outcomes, including health-related job loss (HRJL), prolonged sickness absence (>20 days vs less, past 12 months), having to cut down substantially at work and difficulty coping with work's demands. Associations were assessed using logistic regression and population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated.
Results In all, 3.9% of 8095 respondents were classed as ‘frail’ and 31.6% as ‘prefrail’. Three-quarters of the former were not in work, while 60% had left their last job on health grounds (OR for HRJL vs non-frail subjects, 30.0 (95% CI 23.0 to 39.2)). Among those in work, ORs for prolonged sickness absence, cutting down substantially at work and struggling with work's physical demands ranged from 10.7 to 17.2. The PAF for HRJL when any frailty marker was present was 51.8% and that for prolonged sickness absence was 32.5%. Associations were strongest with slow reported walking speed. Several associations were stronger in manual workers than in managers.
Conclusions Fried frailty symptoms are not uncommon in mid-life and are strongly linked with economically important adverse employment outcomes. Frailty could represent an important target for prevention.
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Accepted/In Press date: 19 December 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 January 2017
Published date: July 2017
Organisations:
MRC Life-Course Epidemiology Unit
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Local EPrints ID: 404541
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404541
ISSN: 1351-0711
PURE UUID: acdb9e5d-2395-4cff-91ae-74f4840f88cd
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Date deposited: 11 Jan 2017 12:27
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:23
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Author:
Keith Palmer
Author:
Stefania D'angelo
Author:
E. Clare Harris
Author:
Tjeerd van Staa
Author:
Avan Aihie Sayer
Author:
David Coggon
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