#0014 Health status of workers approximately 60 years of age and the risk of early death after compulsory retirement: A cohort study
Living Longer After Retirement: Analyzing the Risk of Early Death Among Elderly Retirees
Retirement is a big turning point in life for most people and is generally associated with significant lifestyle changes, which can have an impact on quality of life. Thus, retirement is a great opportunity to intervene with health promoting activities. However, the type of lifestyle interventions that would be most likely to result in a healthy retirement have not been clearly established.
Our study was therefore aimed at evaluating the risk and causes of early death after retirement. We focused on retirees from a metal product factory in Japan, enrolling people who retired between 2003 and 2016. We gathered baseline data on their health at around 60 years of age from past medical examinations and performed yearly follow-ups through mail surveys. We collected information on health-related behaviors, such as drinking, smoking, and exercise, as well as information on the participant’s medical history.
During the course of our study, 71 of the 2026 participants passed away. Through statistical analyses, we determined the main risk factors that seemed to contribute to increased mortality: being male, having a low body-mass index, smoking, and having multiple metabolic abnormalities, such as obesity, high blood pressure, or glucose intolerance.
These results are important for healthcare facilities, government institutions, and private organizations such as the companies who employed the participants or insurance companies. They can help develop effective plans for health interventions around the age of retirement.
Our study suggests that, to increase the chances of a longer life after retirement, focus should be placed on quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and treating metabolic abnormalities as much as possible.
Lifestyle related diseases are known to become more prevalent after middle age. And in Japan, where the rapidly aging population is causing a growing number of people to keep working beyond the age of 65, health right before and after retirement is an even more delicate topic. The results of our study could help elderly workers have a healthier transition into retirement so that they can enjoy a longer life.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1348-9585.12088
Title of the paper:
Health status of workers approximately 60 years of age and the risk of early death after compulsory retirement: A cohort study
Authors:
Masaru Sakurai, Masao Ishizaki, Katsuyuki Miura, Motoko Nakashima, Yuko Morikawa, Teruhiko Kido, Yuchi Naruse, Kazuhiro Nogawa, Yasushi Suwazono, Koji Nogawa, Hideaki Nakagawa
