Influence of education and health conditions on paid work of elderly Brazilians

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine associations between socio-demographic and health characteristics with paid work among elderly Brazilians. The analysis included 11,177 subjects aged 60 years and over from the National Health Survey conducted in 2013. The multivariate analysis was based on prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals estimated by Poisson regression. The participation of men in paid work was significantly higher (32.9%) than women (14.4%). For men and women, this participation decreased with increasing age and was higher among those with better schooling and good self-rated health. Among men, good self-rated health was associated with paid work (PR = 1.63, 95% CI, 1.23-2.15) only for those with less schooling (< 9 years). Among women, good self-rated health revealed a positive association with paid work (PR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.32-2.84) for those with less schooling, and a negative association for those with better schooling (RP = 0.54, 95% CI 0.38-0.77). The results suggest that investments in schooling and improvements in health conditions can contribute to an increase in the longevity of the elderly in the labor market.