title: Educational differences in disability pension among Swedish middle-aged men: role of factors in late adolescence and work characteristics in adulthood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between level of education and disability pension (DP) is well known. Earlier studies have investigated the importance of early life factors and work characteristics but not in combination. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between level of education and DP among Swedish middle-aged working men and to what extent such an association can be explained by factors measured in late adolescence and work characteristics in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information about IQ, health-related lifestyle factors, psychiatric and musculoskeletal diagnoses was obtained from the 1969 conscription cohort, consisting of 49,321 Swedish men. Data collected when subjects were 18-20 years of age were combined with national register-based information about level of education, job control and physical strain at work in adulthood, and information about DP between 1991 and 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a strong graded association between level of education and DP. Those with the lowest level of education had a four times greater probability of having DP as compared with those with the highest level. In multivariable analyses, factors measured in late adolescence, IQ in particular, attenuated the association more than work-related characteristics in adulthood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors found an association between level of education and DP among Swedish middle-aged working men. A large part of the association was explained by factors measured in late adolescence, IQ in particular, and somewhat less by work characteristics measured in adulthood. Level of education remained as a significant predictor of DP in middle age after full adjustment.
authors: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Elin
authors: E
authors: Johansson
authors: Ola
authors: O
authors: Leijon
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Falkstedt
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Farah
authors: Tomas
authors: T
authors: Hemmingsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D009790:Occupations; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult