The Relationship Between Longest-Held Occupation and Hand Function in Older Adults.

Abstract

Hand function, an important component of daily functioning, declines with age, yet the degree to which occupation modifies such declines is largely unknown. Older adults (≥65) completed an online cross-sectional survey containing a standardized hand function questionnaire, occupation-related questions, and demographic information. Participants were then categorized by their longest-held occupation as blue collar or white collar. Hand impairments were more common in the blue collar group (51.5% vs 28.9%, P < 0.05). Odds ratios indicated that blue collar workers were 2.71 times more likely to report hand impairments in older adulthood than white collar workers. Our findings demonstrated strong associations between occupation type and hand function, underscoring the importance of implementing hand-specific preventative workplace measures and highlighting the need to consider additional risk factors for hand impairments, including occupation, during routine clinical exams.