Changes in capability in a sample of Finnish aging workers

The purpose of the present study was to determine how capabilities changed during a 16-year follow-up, and the role of aging in the process. The study population consisted of those who filled out all four questionnaires (n = 3815). At the baseline, in 1981, all participants were active workers with a mean age of 50 years (range 45-58). In 1997, the respondents were mainly retired, only 5% were still at work. The total measure of capability was constructed by summing up the dimensions of cognitive, psychoemotional, physical, and motor capacity. The associations between capability and age, type of work, and occupational status were estimated by general linear models. The results indicate that there was a strong decrease of capability in the 50-year-old active workers from 1985 to 1992. After that, capability began to rise again. This suggests that more actions of promoting working ability should be directed to this age group.