Workplace conditions predict the risk of premature death and functional dependence after retirement—results of a gerontological follow-up study in Germany

Between 1983 and 1985, 595 employees who were entering retirement in East Germany were given a medical examination and asked to assess their workplace conditions. Ten years later, we examined whether occupational predictors were associated with death and functional dependence among the study participants and assessed how the surviving pensioners coped with activities and instrumental activities of daily living. We assigned the occupational factors reported between 1983 and 1985 to two scales: demands and resources. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to examine the association of occupational and medical predictors with the outcome variables death and functional dependence. Workplace resources but not demands were significantly associated with a reduced chance of death in women, independent of medical diagnoses. For men neither of these associations were verified. Concerning functional dependence individual items such as ‘control over work content’ (for both sexes) significantly reduced the risk of developing ADL-dependence. The associations remained stable after medical diagnoses were additionally taken into consideration. The results of our study highlight the influence of occupational factors beyond working life and support the importance of starting geriatric health promotion before retirement age. Public Health (2001) 115, 345–349.