Matching Work Capacity and Job Demands: Toward an Enhanced Measure of Work Ability. Issue 12 (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Noone, Jack H.; Bohle, Philip; Mackey, Martin
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 57:Issue 12(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: job control -- job demands -- organizational environment -- psychosocial -- work ability measurement -- workplace intervention; Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000580
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: The Work Ability Index (WAI), the dominant measure of work ability, provides little information for targeting workplace interventions. There are benefits of developing new measures that focus on self-rated capacity to meet job demands rather than on health subscales of the WAI. Methods: Structural equation modeling with cross-sectional data from 186 underground coal miners aged 18 to 64 years was used to model multivariate relationships between the WAI subscales, worker autonomy, and relationships with management. Results: The results show differential associations between workplace factors and the WAI subscales, particularly self-rated capacity, highlighting potential intervention avenues not identifiable using traditional composite WAI scoring. Conclusions: Focusing on self-rated work ability could be beneficial in clinical settings, provided measures are enhanced to capture a sufficient array of job demands. Abstract : Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text