Perceived Work Ability in the Light of Long-Term and Stress-Related Unhealthy Behaviors-a Prospective Cohort Study.
BACKGROUND
Most of the few studies that exist on the longitudinal associations between health behaviors and work ability target to single health behaviors.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate how lifetime clusters of unhealthy behaviors associate with perceived work ability in early midlife.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 46-year-old men and women (n = 3107) born in Northern Finland in 1966. Their current perceived work ability compared to lifetime best, and their unhealthy behaviors (physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) were assessed by questionnaires. We determined clusters of unhealthy behaviors at the ages of 14, 31, and 46 and created lifetime development trajectories of health behaviors. We also assessed stress-related eating and drinking at the ages of 31 and 46. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between clusters of health behaviors, stress-related eating and drinking, and work ability at 46 years. The analyses were controlled for basic education and physical strenuousness of work, psychosocial job characteristics, perceived work ability, and BMI (kg/m(2)) at 31 years.


RESULTS
Four health behavior trajectories emerged: always healthy, moderate (reference group), deteriorated. and always unhealthy. Among men, always unhealthy behaviors [OR (95 % confidence interval) 2.81 (1.35, 5.86)], and among women, deteriorated health behaviors [1.67 (1.07, 2.58)] associated with poor perceived work ability at 46 years. In addition, stress-related eating and drinking associated independently with poor perceived work ability at 46 years [men 2.58 (1.62, 4.12) and women 2.48 (1.70, 3.61)].


CONCLUSIONS
Long-lasting and stress-related unhealthy behaviors increase the risk of poor work ability in midlife.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. nina.nevanpera@ttl.fi.
Nina
N
Nevanperä
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Jorma
J
Seitsamo
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Leena
L
Ala-Mursula
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Jouko
J
Remes
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Leila
L
Hopsu
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Unit of Primary Care, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Juha
J
Auvinen
LIKES-Research Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Tuija
T
Tammelin
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Imperial College London, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and MRC Health Protection Agency (HPA) Centre for Environment and Health, London, UK.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Unit of Primary Care, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Marjo-Riitta
MR
Järvelin
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Jaana
J
Laitinen
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Lifetime health behaviors; Perceived work ability; Prospective cohort study; Stress-related eating and drinking