Working after retirement can keep you healthy

After a long working life many of us look forward to a long, quiet retirement. But a new report suggests that if we want to stay fit and healthy after retiring, then we should seriously consider taking on some work.

Retirees who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to the study. This was true even after the figures were adjusted to account for people's physical and mental health before retirement.

One of the authors of the study, Mo Wang of the University of Maryland, commented: "Given the economic recession, we will probably see more people considering post-retirement employment."

The study focussed on so-called "bridge employment" - part time or temporary work taken on after retirement with a view to eventually ceasing work altogether at some stage in the future. Over 12,000 participants who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the beginning of the study were interviewed every two years over a six-year period beginning in 1992 about their health, finances, employment history and work or retirement life.

This article was published on Wed 14 October 2009