Work Ability Score (WAS) as a Suitable Instrument to Assess Work Ability Among Iranian Workers

Comparison of the work ability index and the work ability score for predicting health-related quality of life

PURPOSE

To compare the relationship of the 7-item Work Ability Index (WAI) and the single-item Work Ability Score (WAS) with individual and work-related factors, and to investigate the predictive role of these two work ability assessments for health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study. 407 of 445 employees working on a construction project in Shiraz, Iran consented to participate in an anonymous survey. 381 surveys were returned completed. Correlation analyses were used to evaluate relationships between WAI and WAS, and the total score and four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF, our measure of HRQOL, and individual and work-related variables. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to compare WAI and WAS in predicting HRQOL and its four dimensions.

RESULTS

WAI and WAS were both significant predictors of HRQOL and its four dimensions and the explained variance was very similar. The WAI and WAS explained 46% and 44% of the variance related to the HRQOL, respectively. WAI and WAS explained 36-38% and 35-37% of the variance related to dimensions of the HRQOL, respectively. There were significant relationships of both WAS and WAI with job type, work schedule, smoking, and exercise habit.

CONCLUSIONS

The WAS and WAI showed a very similar relationship with participants' individual and work-related factors and HRQOL. The Work Ability Score is a valid and suitable measure for assessment of work ability among Iranian workers. Use of this simple measure could be advantageous to reduce demands on research participants and in workability assessments.

Work ability index in Slovenian hospital nurses aged over fifty years

Nurses with reduced work ability are highly susceptible to the deleterious effects of their working environments, and their rates of sick leave, disability, and early retirement are higher than average. The aim of this study was to evaluate work ability in 433 Slovenian hospital nurses aged over fifty years providing secondary care in thirteen hospitals across Slovenia. To do that we used a standardised instrument known as work ability index (WAI). Mean WAI was 36.98±6.46 and median 38. WAI was not associated with age (Spearman's ρ=-0.034, p=0.475). Total WAI score strongly correlated with the 1st item of the WAI questionnaire "current work ability" (ρ=0.726, p<0.001). Higher WAI scores were also associated with academic education, full-time employment, and working in a single (morning) or three shifts. Our WAI findings in nurses over fifty call for systemic changes in the nursing environment to maintain good work ability among nurses until the retirement age and beyond.