Disease, Disability and Death in an Aging Workforce

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The overarching goal of the ?Alcoa Study? remains the development of increasingly rich models to explain the disparate health and work-capacity trajectories demonstrated in this universally insured, geographically, socially and economically diverse cohort of 200,000+ men and women as they progress from work-life into retirement. Outcomes of focus remain incident chronic disease and its progression, disability, retirement decisions, health in retirement, and mortality. Our unique data set has been augmented to include early life social context via Census data; personal and family work experience and income across the life span via IRS and SSA; post-Alcoa health and mortality via Medicare and the National Death Index (NDI) and contextual social environment from lifetime residential geocoding. Consequently, we propose in the next cycle to embrace a life course approach to study the social, environmental and behavioral determinants of the outcomes listed above The specific aims of this grant are: Aim 1: Link Alcoa workers to individual census records to examine how early life environment influences later life health outcomes. Aim 2: Assess the impact on health and function of adverse working environment as it accrues during work-life, with an emphasis on ubiquitous physical hazards. Aim 3: Identify antecedents of short-term and long-term disability across working life as candidates for subsequent hypothesis testing. Aim 4: Assess the impact disability benefits have on employee work function and health. Aim 5: Examine how injuries and health shocks affect retirement savings and subsequent health trajectories. Viewed altogether, continuation of the Alcoa study with the assembled team of investigators provides an unparalleled opportunity to address a host of critical empiric and methodologic issues previously unapproachable. In addition to understanding better which occupational exposures contribute to chronic disease and disability, these data will allow us to control for economic and other contextual factors to an extraordinary degree.