TY - JOUR
T1 - Health outcomes following retirement
T2 - a comparative study of health and non-health pensioners in Ghana
AU - Nuertey, Benjamin D.
AU - Udofia, Emilia A.
AU - Yawson, Alfred E.
AU - Addai, Joyce
AU - Tette, Edem M.A.
AU - Calys-Tagoe, Benedict N.L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Background: Occupation is a major determinant of health outcomes. Healthcare workers are assumed to know how to prevent diseases and live a healthy life. The aim of this study is to determine the association between working in healthcare as a pre-retirement occupation and health outcomes after retirement. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 4813 members of the National Pensioners Association in Ghana. Thirteen study centres were used in the study. Results: A total of 403 study participants (8.4%) were healthcare workers. After retirement, healthcare workers died earlier compared to non-healthcare workers. Life-table analysis of data demonstrated that 51.9% (95% CI = 47.1–56.9) of health workers died within 5 years after retirement, compared to 35.9% (95% CI = 34.5–37.4) of non-healthcare workers within same time period. Healthcare workers had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity (34.0, 95% CI = 29.5–38.8), self-reported hypertension (54.8%, 95% CI = 49.9–59.7) and high serum total cholesterol (46.4%, 95% CI = 48.7–58.5) compared to non-health workers. Logistic regression of factors on health outcomes after retirement among healthcare workers revealed that healthcare workers were nearly twice as likely to have arthritis (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.1), hearing loss (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1), ischaemic heart disease (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.3), and cerebrovascular accident (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1–4.0) compared to non-healthcare workers. Conclusion: Retired healthcare workers die earlier after retirement and have a higher prevalence of non-communicable disease and its risk factors compared to non-healthcare workers. It is imperative to put in place measures to ensure individual health workers and occupational health teams develop innovative ways to care for themselves.
AB - Background: Occupation is a major determinant of health outcomes. Healthcare workers are assumed to know how to prevent diseases and live a healthy life. The aim of this study is to determine the association between working in healthcare as a pre-retirement occupation and health outcomes after retirement. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 4813 members of the National Pensioners Association in Ghana. Thirteen study centres were used in the study. Results: A total of 403 study participants (8.4%) were healthcare workers. After retirement, healthcare workers died earlier compared to non-healthcare workers. Life-table analysis of data demonstrated that 51.9% (95% CI = 47.1–56.9) of health workers died within 5 years after retirement, compared to 35.9% (95% CI = 34.5–37.4) of non-healthcare workers within same time period. Healthcare workers had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity (34.0, 95% CI = 29.5–38.8), self-reported hypertension (54.8%, 95% CI = 49.9–59.7) and high serum total cholesterol (46.4%, 95% CI = 48.7–58.5) compared to non-health workers. Logistic regression of factors on health outcomes after retirement among healthcare workers revealed that healthcare workers were nearly twice as likely to have arthritis (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.1), hearing loss (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1), ischaemic heart disease (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.3), and cerebrovascular accident (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1–4.0) compared to non-healthcare workers. Conclusion: Retired healthcare workers die earlier after retirement and have a higher prevalence of non-communicable disease and its risk factors compared to non-healthcare workers. It is imperative to put in place measures to ensure individual health workers and occupational health teams develop innovative ways to care for themselves.
KW - Ghana
KW - Health outcomes
KW - Healthcare worker
KW - Occupation
KW - Retirement
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105291943&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10389-021-01557-3
DO - 10.1007/s10389-021-01557-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105291943
SN - 2198-1833
VL - 30
SP - 1641
EP - 1650
JO - Journal of Public Health (Germany)
JF - Journal of Public Health (Germany)
IS - 7
ER -