An Age–Period–Cohort Analysis of Health-related Work Limitations: Results From Global Aging Data

Background In aging societies, maintaining a workable population is essential for sustaining and advancing societal development. Despite similar chronological ages, health-related work limitations can vary significantly depending on individuals’ birth years. This study investigates the effects of age, period, and cohort (APC) on work limitations among older adults using harmonized global longitudinal datasets. Methods This study analyzed data from five longitudinal aging studies: the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (Republic of Korea), the Health and Retirement Study (U.S.), the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (U.K.), the Mexican Health and Aging Study (Mexico), and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (Europe). Participants aged 50–80 years with complete data on health-related work limitations were included. APC effects were modeled using generalized additive models, allowing for the disentanglement of interdependencies among age, period, and cohort dimensions. Results The study included 149,814 participants across the datasets. Age effects showed increasing odds of work limitations with advancing age across all regions. Significant cohort effects were observed in the Republic of Korea, with newer cohorts exhibited higher work ability at equivalent ages, likely due to advances in healthcare, improved working conditions, and positive lifestyle changes. These cohort trends were consistent across all surveys, though their magnitudes varied. Conclusions Our findings indicate significant cohort effects in health-related work limitations, demonstrating that recent cohorts include a greater proportion of workable older adults. Country-specific variations suggest that policies tailored to national socio-economic and cultural contexts are essential to support workforce participation among aging populations.