Aging and work

Improvements in health care and quality of life in recent years have led to a marked aging of the world's population, especially in well-developed regions.

In the near future, this problem will spread to developing countries.

The growing need to promote the health and function of aging workers not only presents new challenges, but also provides exciting new opportunities.

The chapters in this book examine methods for diagnosing and evaluating work ability/employability in response to the changing capacity of employment.

They set out the issues addressed by occupational health professionals to improve the work ability of elderly employees, and discuss measures to promote their employment.

The book derives from a Conference on Aging and Work, held in Japan in September 2001.

It will be of particular interest to professionals and students in the fields of occupational health, ergonomics, mechanical engineering, work physiology and industrial psychology.

Kumashiro; Masaharu University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan,