Measures to Promote Healthy Ageing for Elder Workers: How Common Are They in Italy and Who Benefits From Them?
6 affiliations
- 1Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- 2Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Unit, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
- 3Operative Research Unit of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
- 4Faculty of Business, Hochschule Bielefeld – University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI), Bielefeld, Germany
- 5U-VIP Unit Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- 6Department of Medicine, Epidemiology, Workplace and Environmental Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Monteporzio Catone (Rome), Italy
Abstract
Background:: Intensive research on determinants of healthy ageing among workers has produced a large body of recommendations for companies. However, little is known about the extent of implementation of the respective measures and about inequalities in their availability, e.g., between economic sectors. We investigated the prevalence of such measures in a large sample of older employees in Italy and examined associations with work ability.
Methods:: Participants (employed, aged 50-65 years) were recruited from an existing panel. The 3,741 eligible participants completed a questionnaire that included items assessing the availability of measures to promote healthy ageing, sociodemographics, employment characteristics, and the Work Ability Index (WAI). Measures were grouped into thematic scales, and Poisson regression models were used to estimate adjusted predicted means (age, sex). Associations between measures and WAI were tested using multivariable linear regression.
Results:: The implementation of measures was generally low. The mean number of available measures was 5 out of 20, with most measures (e.g., the opportunity to reduce working hours) reported by fewer than one in five employees. Availability differed by sex, income level, economic sector, company size, and type of contract. Availability of measures was associated with a better WAI in fully adjusted models (β = 0.107; 95% confidence interval: 0.058–0.157).
Conclusions:: The findings suggest that there is still room for improvement in implementing measures to promote healthy ageing in the workplace. To achieve this, particular attention should be paid to disadvantaged segments of the workforce.
Related
- Do Grape- and Wine-Derived (Poly)Phenols Contribute to the Hallmarks of Healthy Brain Ageing?
- Cohort-specific childhood adversity measures and incident cardiovascular disease across four ageing cohorts: analyses of childhood hunger, later-life psychosocial indicators, and life-course burden
- Strengthening healthy ageing in the Caribbean through regional capacity building and ICOPE implementation
- Targeting Specific Sirtuin Modulation: Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for Healthy Cognitive Ageing and Potential Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease
- WHO/Europe Ageing is Living 2026-2030 Strategy: A system-level framework for healthy ageing
BibTeX
@article{dragano2026measures,
title = {{Measures to Promote Healthy Ageing for Elder Workers: How Common Are They in Italy and Who Benefits From Them?}},
author = {Nico Dragano and Annika Höhmann and Alessandra Sciutti and Fabrizio Russo and Jasmin Rabe and Siona Bührmann and Antonio Valenti and Monica Gori and Bruna Maria Rondinone and Krisztina Gero},
journal = {La Medicina del Lavoro},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.23749/mdl.2026.19319},
url = {https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.2026.19319},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Measures to Promote Healthy Ageing for Elder Workers: How Common Are They in Italy and Who Benefits From Them?
AU - Nico Dragano
AU - Annika Höhmann
AU - Alessandra Sciutti
AU - Fabrizio Russo
AU - Jasmin Rabe
AU - Siona Bührmann
AU - Antonio Valenti
AU - Monica Gori
AU - Bruna Maria Rondinone
AU - Krisztina Gero
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - La Medicina del Lavoro
DO - 10.23749/mdl.2026.19319
UR - https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.2026.19319
AB - Background:: Intensive research on determinants of healthy ageing among workers has produced a large body of recommendations for companies. However, little is known about the extent of implementation of the respective measures and about inequalities in their availability, e.g., between economic sectors. We investigated the prevalence of such measures in a large sample of older employees in Italy and examined associations with work ability. Methods:: Participants (employed, aged 50-65 years) were recruited from an existing panel. The 3,741 eligible participants completed a questionnaire that included items assessing the availability of measures to promote healthy ageing, sociodemographics, employment characteristics, and the Work Ability Index (WAI). Measures were grouped into thematic scales, and Poisson regression models were used to estimate adjusted predicted means (age, sex). Associations between measures and WAI were tested using multivariable linear regression. Results:: The implementation of measures was generally low. The mean number of available measures was 5 out of 20, with most measures (e.g., the opportunity to reduce working hours) reported by fewer than one in five employees. Availability differed by sex, income level, economic sector, company size, and type of contract. Availability of measures was associated with a better WAI in fully adjusted models (β = 0.107; 95% confidence interval: 0.058–0.157). Conclusions:: The findings suggest that there is still room for improvement in implementing measures to promote healthy ageing in the workplace. To achieve this, particular attention should be paid to disadvantaged segments of the workforce.
SN - 0025-7818
SN - 2532-1080
ER -