O-006 HEALTHY WORKING LIFE EXPECTANCY AND THE ASSOCIATED HEALTH BEHAVIOURS AMONG DIFFERENT SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS

Abstract

Introduction Due to population ageing, it is essential to prolong working life to safeguard the sustainability of social security systems. However, not everyone is able to work until the rising retirement age due to their health. We aim to estimate healthy working life expectancy (HWLE) of the Dutch working-age population and how it is associated with socioeconomic status and health behaviors (physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption). Methods Longitudinal data from the Lifelines cohort (2006-2021) on health and health behavior were used, enriched with registry data from Statistics Netherlands on work outcomes. HWLE was defined as the expected number of years working in good health after age 50. HWLE was estimated using a multi-state model, conducting stratified analyses by educational levels and gender. Results Estimated HWLE was 9.6 years. People work 0.8 years in poor health and spend the remaining 4.6 years out of employment. HWLE changed over educational levels from 8.7 years for low to 10.3 for intermediate and to 9.8 years for high education. HWLE was lower for women than for men. Unhealthy physical activity and smoking were associated with working longer in poor health and alcohol consumption was associated with more years out of employment. Discussion HWLE comprises two-thirds of late working life, indicating that a large group of workers experiences difficulties to reach the rising retirement age. Conclusion Health behaviours are potentially underlying mechanisms towards HWLE, and new policies should focus on equitable improvements. A broader set of determinants (e.g. work and living environment) is required to further investigate sustainable employability.