Changes in health between ages 54 and 65: The role of job characteristics and socioeconomic status

The authors model the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES), working conditions, and changes between ages 54 and 65 in three very different health outcomes. To what extent is SES associated with changes in health net of the working conditions? At the same time, to what extent are working conditions associated with health net of SES? To address these questions the authors use unique data from a single cohort of women and men to model changes in health between ages 54 and 65. Although results vary across outcomes, there are some circumstances in which associations between SES and changes in health are attributable to working conditions, and there are other circumstances in which associations between working conditions and changes in health are attributable to SES. The largely disconnected literatures on health disparities (in the social sciences and public health) and job design (in occupational stress and ergonomics) could and should be fruitfully integrated.