Manual work as predictor for disability pensioning with osteoarthritis among the employed in Norway 1971-1990

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a non-inflammatory degenerative joint disease occurring chiefly in older people and is characterized by degeneration of the articular cartilage, hypertrophy of bone at the margins, and changes in the synovial membrane. It is accompanied by pain and stiffness. 1 In Norway in 1990 disability pensioners with osteoarthritis (DPOA) comprised 4.3% of all disability pensioners (5.0% of females and 3.5% of males). In 1990 new DPOA cases were 0.65 per 1000 men 16-66 years old without a disability pension and 0.92 per 1000 women 16-66 years old (1991). 2 For 50-59-year-old men and women there has been an increase in the annual incidence of disability pensioning with osteoarthritis over the period (unpublished work by the same authors).Risk factors for becoming a disability pensioner with a musculoskeletal diagnosis which have been published are female sex, 2-4 old age, 2,4,5 not being married, 3,5,6 low level of education, 4-7 low socioeconomic status, [8][9][10][11] low income, 6 working as shop assistant, nurse aide or charlady among women, 12 and heavy occupations among men. 5,10,13 The risk factors reported in previous studies are highly interrelated; people with a low level of education more often have poorly paid, physically demanding jobs than do those with a high level of education. 14 Married women more often work part time than do single women 15 and part-time work is more common in physically demanding jobs. The occupations associated with increased risk of becoming DPOA for women are physically demanding, require little education, and are associated with part-time work. If manual work remains a risk factor after adjusting for the other factors, the nature of this association will be discussed.The objective of this study is, based on prospective data of those employed and 50-56 years old at the start of a follow-up Background Manual work is reported to be a risk factor for becoming a disability pensioner due to osteoarthritis. This association may be due to covariation with other variables. We wanted to assess if manual work remained a risk factor after adjusting for number of hours worked, income, level of education, gender and marital status, and if the risk associated with manual work was equal in the 1970s and the 1980s. MethodsIn a prospective study, data on all new disability pensioners with osteoarthritis in Norway during the two follow-up periods, 1971-1980 and 1981-1990, were analysed by logistic regression. The study include data on all subjects living in Norway and registered as 50-56 years old and employed either in the census collected in 1970 or in the census of 1980. ResultsManual workers have nearly twice the probability of becoming a disability pensioner with osteoarthritis compared to professionals after adjusting for part-time work, income, level of education, marital status and gender. Adjusted for other risk factors, the probability of becoming a disability pensioner with osteoarthritis was three times higher in the 1980s compared to the 1970s. ConclusionThe relatively st...

Disability pension due to musculoskeletal diagnoses: importance of work-related factors in a prospective cohort study of Finnish twins

“…These findings are in line with a study showing that an unfavorable ergonomic situation (such as heavy lifting) increased the risk of DP (7), but also agree with studies showing increased risk with physical workload for DP due to musculoskeletal diagnoses (8) and DP due to osteoarthritis (24). In an attempt to further clarify the role of work-related factors for DP, we used socioeconomic status and education as confounders in the models.…”

The Association of Disability and Pain with Individual and Community Socioeconomic Status in People with Hip Osteoarthritis

“…A number of studies have linked physically-difficult, labor-intensive occupations to increased incidence of OA-related pain [8, 9] and OA-associated disability [10]. Also, lower levels of educational attainment are associated with the degree to which a person may be disabled [11, 12], but educational attainment is also a determinant of occupation selection, which can then increase predisposition to disability [13].…”

Occupational social class and disability retirement among municipal employees – the contribution of health behaviors and working conditions

“…In Finland, for example, each of these accounts for about one third of all diagnoses (2). According to previous studies, a low occupational social class is associated with retirement due to musculoskeletal diseases (3)(4)(5)(6) and mental disorders (3,4) as well as with all-cause disability retirement (3,4,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). A low social class is often related to unhealthy behaviors and unfavorable working conditions that have also been identified as risk factors for retirement due to disability.…”

“…There are various ways in which social class may affect health, work ability and subsequent disability retirement. Social class is closely associated with physical and psychosocial working conditions that contribute Leinonen et al to working capacity not only through ill-health but also through the job requirements expected from a person considering his or her occupational position (6,21,22). Overall, a high socioeconomic position provides material and non-material resources that promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles and thus helps in avoiding disease and maintaining good health (24,25).…”