Does work after retirement affect health-related quality of life: Evidence from a propensity score matching study in China

Aim: Extending working life is considered as an important initiative to respond to the population aging and pension payment dilemma. This study aimed to investigate whether work after retirement is related to improved health-related quality of life.

Methods: We used two waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and 2018. Work after retirement was ascertained based on self-reported retirement and work status, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was measured with the three-level EuroQol five-dimensions. The impact of work after retirement on HRQOL was analyzed using the propensity score matching with difference-in-difference approach.

Results: A total of 1043 retirees were included. The results showed that work after retirement was associated with significant improvement in HRQOL among retirees (β = 0.072, P < 0.001). Heterogeneity analyses did not show specificity on sex (P for sex interaction >0.05), but older-aged retirees seemed more sensitive to the benefits of work after retirement on HRQOL than their younger-aged counterparts (≥65 years: β = 0.167, P < 0.001 vs <65 years: β = -0.047, P > 0.05; P for age interaction = 0.010).

Conclusions: Work after retirement shows a positive impact on HRQOL among community-dwelling adults in China. Policy-makers should take the health of retirees into account when implementing policies related to delayed retirement, and reduce health inequity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 722-729.