Abstract
Background
Occupation is a major determinant of health outcomes. Healthcare workers are assumed to know how to prevent diseases and live a healthy life. The aim of this study is to determine the association between working in healthcare as a pre-retirement occupation and health outcomes after retirement.
Method
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 4813 members of the National Pensioners Association in Ghana. Thirteen study centres were used in the study.
Results
A total of 403 study participants (8.4%) were healthcare workers. After retirement, healthcare workers died earlier compared to non-healthcare workers. Life-table analysis of data demonstrated that 51.9% (95% CI = 47.1–56.9) of health workers died within 5 years after retirement, compared to 35.9% (95% CI = 34.5–37.4) of non-healthcare workers within same time period. Healthcare workers had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity (34.0, 95% CI = 29.5–38.8), self-reported hypertension (54.8%, 95% CI = 49.9–59.7) and high serum total cholesterol (46.4%, 95% CI = 48.7–58.5) compared to non-health workers. Logistic regression of factors on health outcomes after retirement among healthcare workers revealed that healthcare workers were nearly twice as likely to have arthritis (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.1), hearing loss (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1), ischaemic heart disease (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.3), and cerebrovascular accident (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1–4.0) compared to non-healthcare workers.
Conclusion
Retired healthcare workers die earlier after retirement and have a higher prevalence of non-communicable disease and its risk factors compared to non-healthcare workers. It is imperative to put in place measures to ensure individual health workers and occupational health teams develop innovative ways to care for themselves.
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Availability of data and materials
The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Benjamin D. Nuertey and Joyce Addai. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Benjamin D. Nuertey and Joyce Addai, and all authors made significant intellectual input to previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the National Pensioners’ Association Board. The board further monitored each step of the data collection process.
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Nuertey, B.D., Udofia, E.A., Yawson, A.E. et al. Health outcomes following retirement: a comparative study of health and non-health pensioners in Ghana. J Public Health (Berl.) 30, 1641–1650 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01557-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01557-3