The physical activity implications of retirement across occupational activity groups.
Preventive medicine 2023
Glasson L, Panter J, Ogilvie D, Patterson R
DOI : 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107570
PubMed ID : 37315902
PMCID :
URL : https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0091743523001500
Abstract
Retirement is an important later life transition which may represent a critical period for physical activity in older age. Past findings on the association between retirement and physical activity are inconclusive and there is some evidence that the physical activity implications of retirement may differ by occupational activity level. This study used data from waves 4-9 (June 2008-July 2019) of the English Longitudinal Study on Aging to evaluate whether there is an association between retirement and physical activity, and whether this varies across occupational activity groups. Retirement was associated with a significant increase in physical activity (n = 10,693; β: 0.602 METhrs/wk. [95% CI: 0.490, 0.713], p < 0.001). There were significant interactions between retirement and past occupational activity level (n = 5109; X2 (3)=32.59, p < 0.001), such that people retiring from sedentary or standing occupations experienced a significant increase in physical activity with retirement but retirement from an occupation involving heavy manual labour was associated with a decrease in physical activity. This study quantified the importance of retirement for later life physical activity. With demographic aging, the population health importance of later life physical activity will likely become more important. These findings should inform the design of public health interventions to increase physical activity around the retirement transition.
Lay Summary
Retirement is an important event as we get older, and it could be a crucial time for staying physically active. However, past studies haven't really given us a clear picture about how retiring affects how much we move around. There is also some suggestion that the impact of retirement on physical activity might depend on what kind of job you used to have.
This study took a look at data from 2008 to 2019 from the English Longitudinal Study on Aging (ELSA) to see if there's a link between retirement and how physically active we exercise. They also wanted to find out if this varies depending on the kind of work people did before retiring.
The study found that when people retire, they tend to do about 18 extra minutes of light activity each week, like going for walks, or 8 minutes of moderate activity, like taking a leisurely bike ride. It also appears that the type of work you used to do seems to be important. If you had a job where you mostly sat or stood, retiring could mean you start moving more. But if you used to do physical work that involved a lot of manual labour, retirement might lead to less activity.
This study helps us understand how important retirement is for staying active in our later years. As more people get older, being active becomes even more important for our overall health. These findings could be useful for helping people stay active once they retire.