Work ability among older workers in an agricultural community in Nan province, Thailand: a cross-sectional study

Authors

  • Jate Ratanachina Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • Wilawan Mormoon Nan Hospital, Ministry of Public Health, Nan Province, Thailand

Keywords:

Agricultural community, older worker, work ability

Abstract

Background: There is a global challenge regarding demographic change together with the aging population. Research on work ability among older workers in an agricultural area remains crucial, particularly in Thailand, an aged society country with thirty percent of its working population in the agricultural sector.

Objective: To estimate work ability among older workers in an agricultural community and to determine the relationship between work ability and its associations.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of adults aged 40 to 65 was conducted in an agricultural community in Nan province, Thailand, between May and August 2019. The study subjects consisted of 345 villagers and 82 civil servants in Tan Chum subdistrict, Nan province. All subjects completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and the work ability index (WAI). The work ability level and its associated variables were examined using descriptive and logistic regression analyses.

Results: The response rate was 93.7%. The average WAI score was 40.4 (SD = 5.4). Seventy-eight percent of the subjects had a high work ability level. The multiple logistic regression showed that the work ability level was significantly associated with age (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.84 – 0.94), abnormal body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.26 – 0.87) and education at the university level (OR = 6.49, 95% CI 1.27 - 33.17). Weekly working hours, working years, living on a farm, a longest-held job and subject recruitment were not significantly associated with the work ability level.

Conclusion: Older workers in the study agricultural community in Nan province, generally had high work ability. The high work ability was positively associated with education at the university level but was inversely associated with increasing age and abnormal BMI.

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Published

2023-04-10

How to Cite

1.
Ratanachina J, Mormoon W. Work ability among older workers in an agricultural community in Nan province, Thailand: a cross-sectional study. Chula Med J [Internet]. 2023 Apr. 10 [cited 2024 Oct. 12];67(2). Available from: https://he05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/CMJ/article/view/9