Today’s 60-year-olds differ from those of the past. A study shows why.

People in their 60s today are different from those in their 60s in the past. Even at the same age, the current generation is healthier and can work longer.

A study analyzing data from five countries, including Korea, has proven this with numbers. The “work limitations related to health,” or the state of being unable to perform daily occupational activities due to health issues, varies across generations, it showed.

A research team, led by Professor Lee Dong-wook of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Inha University Hospital and Professor Kang Mo-yeol of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, conducted the study.

The researchers analyzed data from 149,814 adults aged 50 to 80 in five countries -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Europe, and Korea. The results showed a clear trend that the younger the generation, the better the health status and the higher the maintenance of work capacity.

The study employed the “Age–Period–Cohort (APC) analysis,” which separates and analyzes the effects of “age,” “period (year of survey),” and “cohort (birth cohort).” It compared the state of being unable to work due to health issues (labor limitations) among the elderly population worldwide.

The trend of increasing labor constraints with age was confirmed in all countries. What was more interesting was the “cohort effect,” or the differences between generations. Even at the same age, health status varied significantly depending on the generation to which one belonged. For example, at age 60, those born in the 1970s were more likely to be healthier than those born in the 1950s. This difference was the largest in Korea.

In Korea, when comparing those born in 1926 and 1970, the difference in the percentage of people unable to work due to health issues was 13.78 times higher. This is the largest generational gap among the five countries. The researchers cited rapid economic growth, improved access to medical care, better working conditions, and higher education levels as reasons for this. The researchers explained that while an era of aging more healthily than in the past has arrived, the pace of this change is particularly rapid in Korea.

“There is a clear difference in health status between those born in the 1930s and those born in the 1960s at the age of 60. This difference should be reflected in the setting of retirement ages and policies for elderly employment,” Professor Lee said. “To activate labor participation among older adults, it is necessary to create an elderly-friendly work environment and improve social awareness, rather than simply extending the retirement age.”

The paper containing the research results, titled “An Age—Period—Cohort Analysis of Health-related Work Limitations: Results from Global Aging Data,” was published in the July issue of the international academic journal Safety and Health at Work.