Physical Work Exposures of Older Workers

Does Measurement Make a Difference

Bibliographic Data

ID13018232
AuthorsTheresa Andrasfay (0000-0003-3885-8718, University of Southern California, corresponding author), Anne R Pebley (0000-0002-9210-6421, University of California, Los Angeles), N Goldman (0000-0003-2865-9491, Princeton University)
EditorsSongqi Liu (0000-0002-1623-2952)
Year2021
Volume9
Issue2
Pages179-189
Publication date2021-05-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWork Aging and Retirement (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2054-4650 • E-ISSN: 2054-4650
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/workar/waab014
PMID37057276
OpenAlexW3174393537
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited46

Physically demanding work at later ages, which is especially prevalent among disadvantaged groups, is associated with long-term health outcomes and may contribute to health inequality over the life course. Past studies of these issues have relied on occupational characteristics from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), but few have assessed how O*NET compares to survey reports when measuring occupational exposures in analyses of socioeconomic status, work conditions, and health. We compare Health and Retirement Study (HRS, N = 16,683 working respondents) and O*NET measurements of general physical activity, frequency of lifting/handling objects, and frequency of stooping-related postures required at work. Pearson correlations between the HRS items and corresponding O*NET items vary from weak to moderate for lifting/handling and stooping-related postures to relatively large for general physical activity. Though they are measured on different scales, both the HRS and O*NET measures of physical demands reveal similar sex, racial/ethnic, and educational differentials in exposure to physically strenuous work. We fit random effects Poisson models to assess how these measures predict accumulation of functional limitations, a potential long-term consequence of strenuous working conditions. Comparable HRS and O*NET measures have similar associations with functional limitations. We also consider an average of physical demand items available in O*NET, finding that this measure has similar associations with functional limitations as the O*NET measure of general physical activity. These results suggest that O*NET characteristics and HRS respondent reports produce comparable disparities in physical work exposures (PWEs) and associations between physically demanding work and declines in physical functioning

Disadvantaged · Economics · Environmental health · Occupational safety and health · Physical activity · Physical therapy · Poisson regression · Population · Respondent · Socioeconomic status · Work (physics · Engineering · Medicine · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Workplace Health and Well-being · Gerontology

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