Educational Inequalities in Ill-Health Retirement Among Middle- and Older-Aged Workers in Korea: The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2016).

Abstract

To identify differences in risk of ill-health retirement (IHR) between groups with different levels of education and examine this difference with respect to working conditions and health-related factors. This study analysed the longitudinal data of 1691 paid workers aged 45 to 79 years from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify the predictors and build a prediction model for IHR according to different final education levels. Over the 10-year follow-up, 208 workers exited work because of poor health. Clear educational inequalities in reason of retirement and increased risk of IHR in low, intermediate, and high educational groups were observed. Our results suggest an educational gradient for IHR among Korean male workers and revealed gender differences in the risk of IHR.