The Association between Longest-Held Lifetime Occupation and Late-Life Cognitive Impairment: Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006–2016)

Hye-Jin Kim, Jin-Young Min and Kyoung-Bok Min
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Hye-Jin Kim: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jin-Young Min: Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Kyoung-Bok Min: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: The association between longest-held lifetime occupation and late-life cognitive impairment: Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006–2016). Backgrounds : Our study hypothesized that occupation in adulthood may be one of the modifiable factors in cognitive performance. This follow-up study aimed to examine whether there was an association between the longest-held occupation in a lifetime and cognitive impairment. Methods : This study used data from the 2006, 2012, and 2016 waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, and a total of 1733 subjects aged over 65 were included. Longest-held occupation in a lifetime was classified into blue-collar, pink-collar, and white-collar. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results : In males, no significant associations were observed. In females, on the contrary, risk of cognitive impairment in the blue-collar occupation was consistently higher than in the white-collar occupation over the 10-year follow-up (2006, OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.05–5.88; 2016, OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.02−4.65). Conclusions : Lifetime occupation should be taken into consideration in the process of screening for cognitive decline in the elderly, especially females. This study needs to be interpreted cautiously in view of inherent data and methodological limitations.

Keywords: longest-held lifetime occupation; cognitive impairment; cognitive function; gender differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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