Are age-related differences in the consequence of work injury greater when occupational physical demands are high?
BACKGROUND
To examine if age differences in the consequences of work injury are exacerbated when occupational physical demands are higher.


METHODS
A secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims in British Columbia (N = 373,672). Regression models examined the relationship between age and health care expenditures, days of wage replacement and the occurrence of long-term-disability following a work-related injury in occupations with lower and higher physical demands. Models were adjusted for individual and injury related covariates.


RESULTS
Older age and higher occupational physical demands were associated with worse work-injury outcomes. The relationship between age and each outcome was not exacerbated when occupational physical demands were higher compared to when they were lower. Counter to our hypotheses age differences in health care expenditures were smaller among women in more demanding occupations.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found no evidence that the relationship between age and the consequences of work injury is exacerbated when physical occupational demands are high.
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Peter
P
Smith
Amber
A
Bielecky
Mieke
M
Koehoorn
Dorcas
D
Beaton
Selahadin
S
Ibrahim
Cameron
C
Mustard
Ron
R
Saunders
Heather
H
Scott-Marshall
D000367:Age Factors; D001955:British Columbia; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000191:economics; D062707:Return to Work / Q000191:economics; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000191:economics*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics*; D016526:Workload
disability; health care; occupational injury; older worker; return-to-work; workers' compensation