TY - JOUR T1 - The Associations between Falls, Fall Injuries and Labor Market Outcomes among U.S. Workers 65 Years and Older. JF - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Y1 - 2018 A1 - Kenneth A Scott A1 - Gwenith G Fisher A1 - Barón, Anna E A1 - Tompa, Emile A1 - Stallones, Lorann A1 - DiGuiseppi, Carolyn KW - Employment and Labor Force KW - Falls KW - Retirement Planning and Satisfaction AB -

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether falls are associated with the subsequent ability to work among workers 65 years and older.

METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study followed older workers enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study. Outcomes included time to health-related work limitation and to labor force exit.

RESULTS: After adjustment multiple falls with or without a medically-treated injury were associated with time to limitation (HR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.30-2.40; HR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.26-1.73, respectively). Adjustment mitigated a crude relationship between falls and time to exit. Significant interactions suggest the relationship between falls and labor force exit depends on age, race and job demands.

CONCLUSIONS: Falls, both non-injurious and injurious, are associated with subsequent health-related work limitation among workers 65 and older. Fall prevention activities would benefit workers who want or need to keep working past age 65.

U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29905647?dopt=Abstract ER -