Abstract
Objective: To study the trajectories of work ability and investigate the impact of multisite pain and working conditions on pathways of work ability over a six-year period. Methods: The longitudinal study was conducted with Finnish food industry workers (n = 866) with data collected every 2 years from 2003–2009. Questions covered musculoskeletal pain, physical and psychosocial working conditions (physical strain, repetitive movements, awkward postures; mental strain, team support, leadership, possibility to influence) and work ability. Latent class growth analysis and logistic regression were used to analyse the impact of multisite pain and working conditions on work ability trajectories (pathways). Results: Three trajectories of work ability emerged: decreasing (5%), increasing (5%), and good (90%). In the former two trajectories, the mean score of work ability changed from good to poor and poor to good during follow-up, while in the latter, individuals maintained good work ability during the follow-up. In the multivariable adjusted model, number of pain sites was significantly associated with higher odds of belonging to the trajectory of poor work ability (Odds ratio (OR) 4 pain sites 2.96, 1.25–7.03). Conclusions: A substantial number of employees maintained good work ability across the follow up. However, for employees with poor work ability, multisite musculoskeletal pain has an important influence, with effective prevention strategies required to reduce its prevalence.
Highlights
An ageing population means longer working lives are needed to support labour supply and to provide an adequate income in retirement [1,2,3]
The decreasing trajectory group comprised individuals with good work ability at the baseline, with a mean work ability score of 8.5, which decreased during the follow-up to a mean of 4 or poor work ability at the final round of follow up
Individuals in the increasing trajectory group started with poor work ability at the baseline, which increased over the follow up period
Summary
An ageing population means longer working lives are needed to support labour supply and to provide an adequate income in retirement [1,2,3]. Maintenance of good work ability, which includes physical and mental capacities, across the life course is important to enable employees to sustain an extended working life [4]. Poor health and work ability are key determinants of early exit from work [5,6]; identifying potentially modifiable workplace factors to address these issues should be included as part of an overall strategy to extend working lives. To contribute to achieving this goal, examination of work ability pathways over time is required to identify key workplace factors which influence an individual’s work ability. Dimensions of work ability comprise both individual factors (health and functional capacity, skills and knowledge required to complete the work and attitudes and motivations towards work) and work and work-context factors (supervisory support and physical, psychosocial and organizational work-related factors) [7]. The impact of having low work ability is significant; a 28-year follow up found that poor work ability at midlife was linked with higher odds of morbidity and disability during
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