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Table 1 Summary of the studies

From: Is working in later life good for your health? A systematic review of health outcomes resulting from extended working lives

First author, year

Location

Population

Study design

Health, physical health, mental health and other outcomes reported in the study

Anxo 2019

Sweden

Age 65+ retirees, n = 8022

Longitudinal routine data

Health - self-assessed health

Physical health - self-reported fitness

Mental health - depressive symptoms, well-being

Ardito 2016

Italy

Aged 68–70, n = 94,52. Male retired (defined as receiving an occupational pension) and those still in employment after pension age

Retrospective analysis of routine data

Health - cardio vascular disease incidence

Blok 2011

Netherlands

Older than 64

Review

Mental health - effect on sleep

Other - accidents and work performance

Carmichael 2013

UK

Aged 50–68 years, n = 56.

Just over half male, 30% retired, 39% in paid employment

Qualitative

Other - perceived relationships between health and employment

Other - labour market participation

Carrino 2018

Italy (Data from UK)

Women aged 60–64 average age 62.5, n = 3452

Retrospective analysis of survey data

Other - effects of pension reform on sickness, caring and incomeself-reported employment status

Di Gessa 2017

UK

Men 65–74, women 60–69, n = 2039

Retrospective analysis of survey data

Health - self-report of doctor diagnosed heart disease/stroke, report of long-standing illness

Physical health - grip strength, mobility limitations

Mental health - depression, somatic health, sleep disturbance

Other - employment history

Di Gessa 2018

UK

Men aged 65–74, women 60–69 at baseline. 56% female, n = 2502 (longitudinal analysis) 1823 (cross sectional analysis)

Retrospective analysis of survey data

Physical health - activities of daily living

Mental health - illness, depression, self-realisation and pleasure

Other - control, autonomy, social relationships and contacts, employment status

Farrow 2012

UK

60+

Systematic Review

Other - injuries and accidents,

sickness absence

Fujiwara 2016

Japan

Aged 65–84 years, n = 981

8-year longitudinal study

Health - medical history, smoking status

Physical health - activities of daily living, exercise habits, walking speed

Mental health - life satisfaction

Other - working status

Kajitani 2011

Japan

Age 60+ male, n = 2032

Estimation model

Health - self-assessed health status, presence of disease, life expectancy

Physical health – self-reported physical limitations, nutrition

Kalousova 2015

European + US data

Older workers mean age 55 at baseline, male, n = 2475

Cohort study

Physical health – self-reported frailty, handgrip, walking speed

McDonough 2017

UK authors using US data

Aged 52–69 and early 70s,

n = 6522

Cohort study

Health - self-rated health

Physical health - functional limitations

Minami 2015

Japan

Age 65+ (mean 73.4), n = 1768

Cohort study

Health - self-rated healthMental health – self-rated mental health

Other - higher-level functional capacity

Morelock 2017

US

Older workers in healthcare, n = 437

Time and place management intervention

Other – workability (ability to carry out a job)

Okamoto 2018

Japan

Aged 60 or older males, n = 1288

Cohort study

Health – mortality,

cognitive decline, self-reported symptoms of stroke, diabetes

Potocnik 2013

European dataset

Average age 69.79 years. Retirees and older employees, n = 2813 retirees and n = 1372 older employees

Cohort study

Physical health - engaging in sport or voluntary activities

Mental health - depression, quality of life

Stenholm 2014

Finland (data from US)

Aged 65–85 years, n = 17,844

Cohort study

Physical health - self-reported physical functioning

Tomioka 2018

Japan

Aged over 65 years, n = 6417

Cohort study

Postal questionnaire

Health – report of cognitive decline

Physical health - care needs, activities of daily living

Welsh 2016

Australia

Aged 50–59 years at baseline, n = 836 older workers

Cohort study

Health – self-reported health

Physical health - self-rated physical activity

Mental health – self rated mental health