Individual changes in working and health conditions: A longitudinal study of 8,000 employees between 2010 and 2017 in France

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The diverse and complex variations in the possible forms of health-work interactions are constantly reconfigured over the course of a person’s career. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were: 1) assess the scope of the individual changes in working conditions; 2) examine conjoint changes in working conditions; 3) examine the links between these changes and back pain and fatigue. METHOD: Analyses were conducted using data from the French observatory EVREST. The variations for each individual (close to 8,000 in total) were studied by comparing data for each individual obtained at two dates at least four years apart within the period between 2010 and 2017. RESULTS: The frequency of the studied constraints was often similar at two dates (T1 and T2), but significantly higher for repetitive movements, working additional hours and interruptions which disrupt the work. The variations in physical constraints, intensity of work and lack of agency scores between the two timepoints are two-by-two positively correlated. Finally, respondents in the higher tertiles for any of these working condition scores at T2 had a higher probability of back pain or fatigue, compared to individuals in the lower tertiles at both timepoints. Being in a higher tertile at both dates corresponded to the highest odds-ratios for health complaints. CONCLUSION: From a “sustainability” perspective, these findings support treating this diversity of seniority in a profession and past experience at the same time as major decisions on production are made, rather than dealing with it as an afterthought.