Employment Status and Chronic Diseases: A Cross-sectional Study among 60-64 Year-old Men and Women

This study aims to investigate the association between chronic conditions [diabetes, asthma, and arthritis] and current employment status for men and women aged 60 – 64 years old. The study used the baseline data from the NSW 45 and Up Study, restricted to 41,754 participants aged 60 -64 years old. The participants were prioritized into mutually exclusive employment categories – full time employed, part time employed, self-employed, disabled/sick, and not in paid work. The association between current employment status and chronic conditions was evaluated separately for men and women, before and after adjustment for relevant groups of covariates [socio-demographic factors, health risk factors, and health capacity factors]. Current employment was associated with having a chronic disease, specifically diabetes, asthma, or arthritis. Participants who were not in paid work or disabled/sick were more likely to report chronic conditions; while having some form of paid employment was associated with decreased risk of having a chronic condition [diabetes or arthritis]. However, this effect diminished once socio-demographic conditions, health risk factors [smoking, BMI, alcohol] and health capacity factors [SF-36 physical function and needing help for daily tasks] were taken into account. There were significant associations between different employment patterns and chronic diseases [diabetes and arthritis]. Better understanding of these associations and related risk factors could inform policies and guidelines for preventing the decline in employment in males and females of pre-retirement age