BACKGROUND The Work Ability Index (WAI) is a validated and widely used research tool. Reference data for Chinese workers by age, gender and work content are poorly documented or lacking. OBJECTIVE To provide reference data for work ability among workers in western China. METHODS A random sample of 10 218 workers (including manual, professional, clerical and semi-skilled workers) in western ...

OBJECTIVE to investigate the socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and health conditions related to fatigue and the work ability. METHOD a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 and the sample was composed by 90 workers from the supply center of Campinas. Three questionnaires were used: Fatigue; Work ability index; and socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS in the univariate...

This paper presents an approach to assessing presenteeism (on-the-job productivity loss) that is related to perceived work ability. The aim of this explorative research was to find out if perceived work ability could be a robust indicator, interchangeable with presenteeism, in Finnish food industry organizations. The developed approach was based on existing presenteeism research as well as on r...

OBJECTIVE To test the Work Ability House model, verifying the hierarchy of proposed dimensions, among a group of hospital workers. METHODS A cohort study (2009-2011) was conducted with a sample of 599 workers from a hospital in the city of São Paulo. A questionnaire including sociodemographics, lifestyle and working conditions was used. The Brazilian versions of Job Stress Scale, Effort-Rewar...

Wilson's disease (WD) is a rare, progressive autosomal recessive disorder characterised by impaired transport and excessive accumulation of copper in the liver, brain, and other tissues. The disease is diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and screening tests results. Work ability assessment of patients with WD is based on the analysis of liver, kidney, neurological, and cognitive impairme...

The aim of this study was to investigate the work ability in ageing workers suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), coronary heart disease (CHD) or hypertension (H). One hundred and sixty-six OA and 355 CHD/H outpatients were evaluated. The Work Ability Index (WAI) served for work ability assessment. Patients' results were compared with the results of a control group of 225 healthy young workers. S...

The Work Ability Index (WAI) is a well-accepted questionnaire designed to assess an individual’s work ability. However, most research with WAI has focused on occupational populations with physical demands at work. The purpose of this study is to explore the value of WAI as screening instrument among professionals in a Dutch university. Based on database data about absenteeism, questionnaire dat...

OBJECTIVE Menopause is an important life event that may have a negative influence on quality of life. Work ability, a concept widely used in occupational health, can predict both future impairment and duration of sickness absence. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study that used a sample of healthy worki...

This paper describe the concept of maintenance of work ability (MWA) at workplaces and the contribution of occupational health services (OHS). Changing working life and its demands increase the need for MWA. The concept of MWA is approximately ten years old in Finland. It has attained large popularity in media and is a central trend in the promotion of well-being at workplaces. It has received ...

BACKGROUND Multi-site pain is a common phenomenon among working-age people and it strongly increases work disability risk. Little is known about the impact of musculoskeletal pain on work ability. AIMS To investigate whether the number of musculoskeletal pain sites predicts future poor work ability. METHODS The study was conducted in 2005 and 2009 in a food processing company. A total of 73...