Physical and cognitive capability in mid-adulthood as determinants of retirement and extended working life in a British cohort study

• Main Authors: Mai Stafford, Rachel Cooper, Dorina Cadar, Ewan Carr, Emily Murray, Marcus Richards, Stephen Stansfeld, Paola Zaninotto, Jenny Head, Diana Kuh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) 2017-01-01
• Series: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
• Subjects: retirement; older worker; cognitive performance; early retirement; united kingdom; working life; ageing; bridge employment; physical capability; cognitive capability; extended working life; britain; self-reported health; physical performance; cohort study
• Online Access: https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3589

OBJECTIVE: Policy in many industrialized countries increasingly emphasizes extended working life. We examined associations between physical and cognitive capability in mid-adulthood and work in late adulthood. METHODS: Using self-reported physical limitations and performance-based physical and cognitive capability at age 53, assessed by trained nurses from the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development, we examined prospective associations with extended working (captured by age at and reason for retirement from main occupation, bridge employment in paid work after retirement from the main occupation, and voluntary work participation) up to age 68 among >2000 men and women. RESULTS: Number of reported physical limitations at age 53 was associated with higher likelihood of retiring for negative reasons and lower likelihood of participating in bridge employment, adjusted for occupational class, education, partner’s employment, work disability at age 53, and gender. Better performance on physical and cognitive tests was associated with greater likelihood of participating in bridge or voluntary work. Cognitive capability in the top 10% compared with the middle 80% of the distribution was associated with an odds ratio of bridge employment of 1.71 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.21–2.42]. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility for an extending working life is less likely to be realized by those with poorer midlife physical or cognitive capability, independently of education, and social class. Interventions to promote capability, starting in mid-adulthood or earlier, could have long-term consequences for extending working.