Chronic conditions and work
Chronic conditions refer to diseases and health conditions that last a long time and generally progress slowly. Although they can occur at any age, they become more common later in life. They are often invisible, sometimes episodic (i.e. they come and go) and often characterized by fluctuating symptoms that leave people disabled one day and functional the next. Examples of chronic diseases include arthritis, diabetes, chronic pain, depression and fibromyalgia. IWH research in this area focuses on the effects of chronic disease on work participation and productivity, as well as the effectiveness of job accommodations, benefits and other programs to ensure workers with chronic disease can stay at, or return to, work.
Featured
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Research Highlights
How do employment support programs impact the health of young adults with episodic disabilities?
Episodic disabilities can make it challenging for workers to find and sustain employment while managing their symptoms and work demands. An IWH study investigated the health impacts of employment support programs for young adults with episodic disabilities.
Published: April 8, 2024
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IWH Speaker Series
Unveiling the JDAPT: A new interactive tool to identify work-related support strategies for workers with chronic conditions and disability
In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac describes the JDAPT tool, its development, as well as data from two studies on the tool. She discusses the JDAPT’s potential to help workers by focusing on work solutions, not medical diagnoses and symptoms.
Published: March 21, 2023
Journal article
Journal article
Long working hours and the prevalence of masked and sustained hypertension
Published: Hypertension, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Male/female differences in the impact of caring for elderly relatives on labor market attachment and hours of work: 1997-2015
Published: The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Health care providers' experiences and perceptions participating in a chronic pain telementoring education program: a qualitative study
Published: Canadian Journal of Pain, January 2020
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Impact case study
IWH researchers help MPs examine episodic disabilities and work issues
IWH senior scientists presented expert testimony to a federal standing committee looking at the needs of people with episodic disabilities—an example of how research can support policy-makers in addressing important societal issues.
Published: November 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Exposure to crystalline silica in Canadian workplaces and the risk of kidney cancer
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, September 2019
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Research Highlights
Comparing the retirement expectations of older workers with and without chronic conditions
Workers with arthritis and diabetes, despite their health difficulties, have similar retirement plans as their healthy peers. Yet workers with chronic conditions are more likely than their healthy peers to report having retired previously and returned to work, often in part-time positions.
Published: August 2019
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At Work article
Psychosocial work conditions linked with both positive and negative mental health
Greater job control, job security and social support at work not only lower the risks of mental disorders; they may also raise the likelihood of flourishing mental well-being.
Published: July 2019
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At Work article
Raising awareness about caregiver supports results in savings for employer: study
It's one thing to have workplace policies to support employees with unpaid caregiving duties at home. It's another to raise awareness about such policies among staff and their supervisors. That alone can result in savings for the employer, according to a new cost-benefit analysis.
Published: July 2019
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At Work article
Despite pain and fatigue, older workers with chronic conditions want to work to age 65
Having a health condition or a chronic disease can be challenging for older workers, but it doesn't necessarily decrease their desire to work and retire at about the same age as healthy peers, finds an IWH study of retirement expectations.
Published: July 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Dermatitis among workers in Ontario: results from the Occupational Disease Surveillance System
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, July 2019