Chronic conditions prevalent among health workers
New Australian research shows high levels of chronic health conditions among people working in the healthcare sector.
Measures to tackle chronic health conditions among Australia’s older workers may be crucial to boost future labour force participation, according to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
The study which was led by Dr Deborah Schofield from the Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health found the health workforce was a particular area of concern,
“Older workers with chronic conditions are more likely to be employed in certain industries such as retail trade, and health and community services,” said Dr Schofield.
“Workers in the retail trade industry were found to be more likely to suffer from musculoskeletal conditions, while those in health and community services had higher rates of cardiovascular disease.”
But the study did not determine whether this spelt good or bad news for the health sector as the labour force continues to grow older.
“If the chronic conditions in growth industries [like retail trade or health care] are work-related, then rates of disease may increase in the future as these industries continue to grow,” said Dr Schofield.
“However, if they are unrelated to work, it may mean that older workers with these conditions can more readily gain employment in these industries.”
The study also found that managers and administrators were less likely to suffer from cancer.
This is possibly because they are exposed to less risk or because they are in a better position to retire when their health deteriorates.
