Physically intense work and health: A new index to assess the burden of job tasks
Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, operating heavy machinery, carrying out agricultural work and performing repair and maintenance tasks: These are some of the activities that new research associates with poorer health later in life.
A new study published in the Journal of Population Economics examines the potential impact of physically demanding jobs on health in later life. Researchers from Ca' Foscari University of Venice and the University of Innsbruck analyzed the employment histories of nearly 65,000 individuals across 27 European countries and Israel. The study introduces the Job Strain Intensity index, a tool to assess the physical burden of work based on the tasks involved in each occupation.
The main finding of the research is a significant association between the physical intensity of work throughout a person's career and their health after age 50. This connection remains even after accounting for childhood circumstances, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle choices. The study found that individuals who performed more physically demanding tasks throughout their careers had a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with heart attacks, strokes, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and hypertension at a younger age.
Women appeared to be particularly affected by this relationship, with the association between physical strain at work and poorer health being stronger for them compared to men. The research identified 67 specific tasks that were strongly linked to poorer self-reported health outcomes, including cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, operating heavy machinery, agricultural work, repairing and maintaining equipment, helping with personal care, unloading trucks, carrying heavy objects, electrical work, and construction and restoration activities.
To quantify the occupational burden, the researchers developed the Job Strain Intensity index. This index measures the weight of tasks associated with poorer health outcomes for each occupation. By focusing on individual tasks rather than broad occupational categories, the index provides a more precise description of the content of different jobs.
The findings of this study have implications for health inequalities and pension policies, as they highlight the importance of considering an individual's employment history when designing protection measures and addressing health disparities.
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