Dataset Information

Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Several studies regarding the effect of retirement on physical as well as mental health have been performed, but the results thereof remain inconclusive. The aim of this review is to systematically summarise the literature on the health effects of retirement, describing differences in terms of voluntary, involuntary and regulatory retirement and between blue-collar and white-collar workers.

Methods

A search for longitudinal studies using keywords that referred to the exposure (retirement), outcome (health-related) and study design (longitudinal) was performed using several electronic databases. Articles were then selected for full text analysis and the reference lists of the selected studies were checked for relevant studies. The quality of the studies was rated based on predefined criteria. Data was analysed qualitatively by using a best evidence synthesis. When possible, pooled mean differences and effect sizes were calculated to estimate the effect of retirement on health.

Results

Twenty-two longitudinal studies were included, of which eleven were deemed to be of high quality. Strong evidence was found for retirement having a beneficial effect on mental health, and contradictory evidence was found for retirement having an effect on perceived general health and physical health. Few studies examined the differences between blue- and white-collar workers and between voluntary, involuntary and regulatory retirement with regards to the effect of retirement on health outcomes.

Conclusions

More longitudinal research on the health effects of retirement is needed, including research into potentially influencing factors such as work characteristics and the characteristics of retirement.

SUBMITTER: van der Heide I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4029767 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies.

van der Heide Iris I van Rijn Rogier M RM Robroek Suzan J W SJ Burdorf Alex A Proper Karin I KI

BMC public health 20131213

<h4>Background</h4>Several studies regarding the effect of retirement on physical as well as mental health have been performed, but the results thereof remain inconclusive. The aim of this review is to systematically summarise the literature on the health effects of retirement, describing differences in terms of voluntary, involuntary and regulatory retirement and between blue-collar and white-collar workers.<h4>Methods</h4>A search for longitudinal studies using keywords that referred to the ex ...[more]

PMID: 24330730

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Project description:BackgroundEmerging evidence indicates that poor periodontal health adversely impacts cognition. This review examined the available longitudinal evidence concerning the effect of poor periodontal health on cognitive decline and dementia.MethodsComprehensive literature search was conducted on five electronic databases for relevant studies published until April 2022. Longitudinal studies having periodontal health as exposure and cognitive decline and/or dementia as outcomes were considered. Random effects pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals were generated (pooled odds ratio for cognitive decline and hazards ratio for dementia) to assess whether poor periodontal health increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Heterogeneity between studies was estimated by I2 and the quality of available evidence was assessed through quality assessment criteria.ResultsAdopted search strategy produced 2132 studies for cognitive decline and 2023 for dementia, from which 47 studies (24 for cognitive decline and 23 for dementia) were included in this review. Poor periodontal health (reflected by having periodontitis, tooth loss, deep periodontal pockets, or alveolar bone loss) was associated with both cognitive decline (OR = 1.23; 1.05-1.44) and dementia (HR = 1.21; 1.07-1.38). Further analysis, based on measures of periodontal assessment, found tooth loss to independently increase the risk of both cognitive decline (OR = 1.23; 1.09-1.39) and dementia (HR = 1.13; 1.04-1.23). Stratified analysis based on the extent of tooth loss indicated partial tooth loss to be important for cognitive decline (OR = 1.50; 1.02-2.23) and complete tooth loss for dementia (HR = 1.23; 1.05-1.45). However, the overall quality of evidence was low, and associations were at least partly due to reverse causality.ConclusionsPoor periodontal health and tooth loss appear to increase the risk of both cognitive decline and dementia. However, the available evidence is limited (e.g., highly heterogenous, lacking robust methodology) to draw firm conclusions. Further well-designed studies involving standardized periodontal and cognitive health assessment and addressing reverse causality are highly warranted.

Project description:BackgroundThe rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults' working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers' health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose.ObjectiveThis systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community.MethodsThe search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria.ResultsTo our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees' well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers' health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design.ConclusionsFurther digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users' health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.

Dataset Information

Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies.

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