title: Work ability and associated factors of Brazilian technical-administrative workers in education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies about work ability have grown in importance owing to the worldwide aging of active populations. Research has shown that measuring work ability has a predictive value in cases of long-term sickness absence and early retirement. Our goal was to analyze the work ability and associated factors of civil servants from a higher education institution in Brazil. The participants in this cross-sectional study were 600 technical-administrative workers at a public university. Work ability was measured using the work ability index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants were as follows: 51.8% male; mean age of 45 years (SD = ±11); married or in a stable union (61.5%); holding a graduate degree (56.7%); having only one job (83.3%), working 40 h a week or less (78.6%); not working evenings (79.8%); and having direct contact with the public (58.3%). The prevalence of reduced work ability was 13.9%. The following factors were found to be associated with reduced work ability: age 50 years old or above (PR = 2.58; 95% CI 1.25-5.09); female (PR = 2.77; 95% CI 1.25-3.60); education up to secondary school (PR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.13-3.59); overall poor self-assessed health (PR = 2.96; 95% CI 1.32-3.93); signs and symptoms of depression (PR = 4.86; 95% CI 2.23-6.55); sedentariness (PR = 3.00; 95% CI 1.38-4.68) and poor social support at work (PR = 4.01; 95% CI 1.66-4.37).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the participants showed good work ability, but some subjects had reduced work ability. This study makes a contribution to expanding the discussion about the factors associated with work ability toward proposing actions for maintaining that ability or helping recovery in the case of diminished ability. Such actions can help reduce work absenteeism and early retirement, both of which have a social and economic impact in Brazil. Studying the determinants of work ability and recommendations to address those determinants will help efforts to improve the quality of life of individuals, both at work and personally, and promote healthy aging.
authors.affiliation: Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. marlucerodriguesenf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marluce Rodrigues
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Godinho
authors.affiliation: Basic Nursing Department, School of Nursing, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil. romagreco@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rosangela Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.affiliation: Department of Collective Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil. teitabt@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa Bustamante
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Center for Workers Health and Human Ecology Studies, Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. lilianeteixeira@ensp.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Liliane Reis
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Collective Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil. maximiliano.guerra@ufjf.edu.br.
authors.forename: Maximiliano Ribeiro
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.affiliation: Statistics Department, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil. alfredo.chaoubah@ice.ufjf.br.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaoubah
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D004493:Education; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014937:Work; D055815:Young Adult