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van der Valk AM, Theou O, Wallace LM, Andrew MK, Godin J. Physical demands at work and physical activity are associated with frailty in retirement. Work 2022; 73:695-705. [DOI: 10.3233/wor-210859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship between occupational physical activity and frailty is complex and understudied. OBJECTIVE: We explore whether moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in retirement and main lifetime occupation physical demands (OPD) are associated with frailty in retirement. METHODS: Retired adults aged 50 + who participated in waves 3-4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were included. We constructed a 65-item frailty index (FI; Wave 4). Linear regressions tested the independent associations between OPD (Wave 3) and retirement MVPA (Wave 4) with FI (B: 95% CI) controlling for occupation characteristics (Wave 3) and demographics (Wave 4). These models were repeated across country groups (Nordic; Mediterranean; Continental) and sexes. RESULTS: We included 8,411 adults (51.1% male) aged 72.4 years (SD 8.0). Frequent MVPA was consistently associated with lower FI (-0.09 : 0.10–-0.08, p < .001) while OPD was associated with higher FI (0.02 : 0.01-0.03, p < .001). The MVPA*OPD interaction (-0.02: -0.04–-0.00, p = .043) was weakly associated with FI, but did not explain additional model variance or was significant among any country group or sex. CONCLUSIONS: For a sample of European community-dwelling retirees, a physically demanding main lifetime occupation independently predicts worse frailty, even in individuals who are physically active in retirement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Theou
- Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Lindsay M.K. Wallace
- Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Melissa K. Andrew
- Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Judith Godin
- Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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