The Effect of Retirement on Health: A Panel Analysis Using Data from the Swiss Household Survey

Publikations-Art

Zeitschriftenbeitrag (peer-reviewed)

Autoren

Sousa-Poza, A/Mojon-Azzi, S

Erscheinungsjahr

2007

Veröffentlicht in

Swiss Medical Weekly

Seite (von - bis)

581-585

Questions under study: Despite the importance of the relationship between retirement and health only a limited amount of empirical research has addressed this issue, particularly concerning phys- ical health. This study examines whether retire- ment has a short-term in uence on six health measures.

Methods: Using data from the Swiss House- hold Panel from 1999 to 2003, we perform an or- dinal regression on changes in health for each of the six health measures.

Results: We found that retirement has no short- term effect on the health of the large majority of individuals. Moreover, for those individuals whose health status did change, retirement had a prima- rily positive effect. This positive impact of retire- ment is mainly re ected by less frequent depres- sion and anxiety, and by the lower degree to which health is an impediment in everyday activities.

Conclusions: The positive changes in health after retirement may be due to the cessation of work-related stress and to an increase in physical and leisure activities.