PRIMARY OCCUPATION AND PAIN AMONG ADULTS AGED 50 AND OLDER IN MEXICO

Abstract

Abstract Working in physically demanding jobs may be associated with pain in middle and old age. This has not been widely studied in Mexico, which has a rapidly aging population. We evaluated the association between primary occupation and pain over 17 years of follow-up among Mexicans aged 50 and older using data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (2001-2018). Primary occupation was categorized as professional, agriculture, domestic/service, production/industrial, or no main job. We examined frequent pain (yes vs. no) and pain interference (none/non-interfering vs. interfering), defined as pain that limits daily activities. Mixed effects logistic regression was used to model the association between primary occupation and pain. In 2001, participants (n=11,339) were 62.1 years old on average (standard deviation: 9.3) and 55.7% female. About 25.1% of participants worked as professionals, 17.2% worked in agriculture, 16.9% in domestic/service, 22.4% in production/industry and 18.4% had no main job. Almost all of those reporting no main job were women (98.7%). Compared to professionals, those in production/industry had higher odds of frequent pain at baseline [odds ratio (OR): 2.42; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25, 4.67]. Those in agriculture had higher odds of frequent (OR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.25) and interfering pain (OR: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.10, 5.70) at baseline. Pain did not change over time by lifetime occupation. The final analysis will include an estimation of gender differences. Health care providers should consider lifetime occupational risks, which may help address pain and minimize pain interference in old age.