How does physical mobility affect working years and income?

Bethesda, MD — Better physical mobility can lead not only to longer working years but also to higher income, results of a recent study led by National Institutes of Health researchers show.

The researchers used 2016 health and income data from more than 19,000 survey respondents in the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study. Participants were given mobility ratings based on their ability to complete tasks such as walking one block, walking across a room or climbing a flight of stairs.

“A Level 5 represented ‘unrestricted’ mobility, while a Level 0 indicated difficulty with all the mobility tasks,” an NIH press release states.

The researchers then identified nearly 1,100 participants who had unrestricted mobility in 2000 “and compared differences in income and working rates between those who maintained mobility and those who lost mobility after 10 years.”

During the third phase, the researchers identified almost 7,100 participants who were between the ages of 60 and 80 in 2012, “divided the group by how often they engaged in exercise and observed differences in mobility after four years.”

Findings show that a drop of one level in mobility was associated with a $3,000 reduction in annual household income. The participants who maintained mobility after the age of 55 “had a 19-point higher likelihood” of remaining active in the workforce.

Exercising just once a week “significantly boosted” mobility scores.

“We have long understood that greater mobility is an important indicator of good health,” Lindsey A. Criswell, director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, said in a press release. “The notion that mobility can have economic rewards further extends the evidence for the benefits of exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle.”

The study was published online in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.