Assessment of work ability status and its association with fatigue and health among industrial workers in Southeast Iran

Workforce aging is one of the problems that has led to a decrease in their working ability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perceived work ability and its association with fatigue and general and mental health in industrial workers.

A total of 350 people working in various industries of Zahedan city participated in this cross-sectional study. The data were collected using the first item of the work ability index questionnaire known as work ability score (WAS), the fatigue assessment scale, and the general and mental health scales of the Copenhagen questionnaire. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. The data were analyzed using SPSS24 software.

The mean score of the WAS among studied subjects was 4.76±1.59, which is categorized as a poor level. According to the results of multiple linear regression analysis, fatigue, general health, and mental health had a significant effect on perceived work ability, among which the strongest relationship was related to fatigue (β= -0.324 and P<0.001). The results of the study did not show a relationship between body mass index and perceived work ability (β=-0.021 and P<0.05).

According to the findings of the research, the perceived work ability was at a poor level. Fatigue and general health had the greatest effect on perceived work ability. It is suggested to design and implement studies in order to identify other factors affecting work ability.