Affiliations: Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil | Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil | Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil | Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil | Department of Occupational Therapy, Instituto de Ci�ncias da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Note: [] Corresponding author: Rosana Ferreira Sampaio, Universidade Federalde Minas Gerais, Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia eTerapia Ocupacional, Av. Antônio Carlos, n° 6627, Campus Pampulha.Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP: 1270-901, Brazil. Tel.: +55 31 34094783; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Work Ability Model has a holistic structure that
incorporates individual characteristics, work-related factors and life outside
of work. The model has been explored in the context of Finland but still needs
to be applied in other countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
examine the relationships between age, health, work and work ability in a
sample of Brazilian municipal employees. METHOD: A sample of 5,646
workers answered a web-survey questionnaire that collected information about
socio-demographics, health, work characteristics and work ability. Structural
equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the simultaneous relationships
between the variables that comprise the Work Ability Model. RESULTS: The
sample was predominantly female (68.0%), between 30 and 49 years old
(60.0%) and highly educated (66.0%). SEM produced good fit indexes that
supported the Work Ability Model. Age was positively related to work ability
and negatively related to health. Health and work characteristics positively
influenced work ability. CONCLUSIONS: The results produced additional
support for the conceptualization of work ability as a complex and dynamic
phenomenon: a system composed of an individual and various elements of his/her
work interact in time and space in a nonlinear way.
Keywords: Sick leave, physical workload, stressful job, public sector, SEM
