title: Work related injury among aging women.
abstract: This article reports the experiences of women aged 55 to 75 with mobility impairments who attributed aspects of their limitations to workplace injuries and provides insight into worker's compensation policies. The study sample includes Mexican American (MA) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) women aged 55 to 75 who participated in a 4-year ethnographic study of disablement. Ninety-two of the 122 participants in the study attributed aspects of their functional limitations to employment, and their experiences were analyzed using data from 354 meetings. Using Lipscomb and colleagues' conceptual model of work and health disparities, the women's experiences were grouped into three categories according to type of injury, assistance gained, and the consequences of a workplace injury; the results have broad implications for policies that influence aging outcomes. Workplace injuries causing permanent functional limitations compound the effects of age and gender on employment outcomes. Policies addressing health disparities should consider work related influences.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78701, USA. tharrison@mail.nur.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Tracie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Legarde
authors.forename: Sunhun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Janiece
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blozis
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Umberson
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D020380:Needs Assessment; D016272:Occupational Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: aging populations; occupational health and safety; women’s health; workforce diversity