[ESTEV study on relationship between health, work and aging in Italy]

A longitudinal epidemiological study into the relationships between age/health/work is currently under way in different geographical areas throughout Italy. The research is co-ordinated by INRCA (Italian National Research Centres on Aging) in Ancona with the collaboration of the Universities of Ancona, Verona and Bari. This study concerns a population of approximately 2,000 employees from a variety of production sectors. The sample is made up of 5 groups of workers selected according to the year they were born and aged: 32, 37, 42, 47 and 52 years. The chosen research tool is modelled on ESTEV and VISAT researches, the former conducted on a sample of 20,000 French workers, the latter on approximately 3,000 workers and still under way. It involves a set of three questionnaires which allow for a number of variables to be taken into consideration: the first questionnaire concentrates on information regarding the occupation, both past and present; the second on the life style and self-assessed health according to the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP); the third, completed by the occupational physician, contains information on current and previous illnesses, the presence of disorders of the musculo-skeletal apparatus, the taking of any drugs and some anthropometrical and clinical-instrumental parameters (Respiratory Functionality Test, Visiotest and Audiogram). The study with be carried out in two phases: a first survey (under way) and a second one five years later on the same subjects. The results of the analysis will be compared with those of other European countries.