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.

Two workers at a window shutters manufacturing shop floor
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
A silhouette of two palms held upward, cupping the sun
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
A man feeds his mom at a hospital bedside
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
Two workers at a window shutters manufacturing shop floor
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
A silhouette of two palms held upward, cupping the sun
Research Highlights

Psychosocial work conditions and mental health

Having positive mental health is not the same as having no mental illness. The two are related, but distinct, concepts. A study by IWH suggests that better psychosocial work conditions—greater job security, job control and social support—can have greater influence on one more than the other.
Published: June 2019
A professional woman pushes an older person in a wheelchair in the outdoors
Research Highlights

Gender differences in the impact of eldercare on work

Women are much more likely than men to stop working, to work part time and to temporarily take time off work in order to care for an older relative. These differences are seen even after taking into account factors such as marital status, having children, hours of work, pay level, job tenure, and status as main wage earner in the household.
Published: June 2019
Journal article
Journal article

Job strain and the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among white-collar workers

Published: Hypertension Research, June 2019
Journal article
Journal article

The current burden of cancer attributable to occupational exposures in Canada

Published: Preventative Medicine, May 2019
Journal article
Journal article

Prostate cancer risk by occupation in the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) in Ontario, Canada

Published: Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, May 2019