Fatigue and Insufficient Leisure Opportunities in Older Employees

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of age on fatigue prevalence and the potential recovery effect of leisure opportunities. METHODS: The study was based on the Austrian Health Interview Survey 2006/2007. We investigated data of a subsample of working adults, which consisted of 5018 subjects (51.8% males) aged 35 to 59 years. A logistic regression analysis stratified by gender explored whether age and leisure opportunities predicted prolonged fatigue. RESULTS: Age was not associated with fatigue in females, but older male employees (55 to 59 years) were at a greater risk for fatigue than the reference group (35 to 39 years). Insufficient leisure opportunities increased the odds for fatigue in both genders and all age groups. However, this effect was especially pronounced in male employees aged 55 to 59 years. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that older male employees may be in need of more leisure opportunities to recover from work.