Relation of the work ability index to fitness for work in healthcare and public employees in a region of Northeastern Italy

PURPOSE: Work ability indicates an individual’s capacity to match job demands according to his/her physical and mental conditions and work circumstances. Occupational physicians should take into consideration the global health status of a worker in order to correctly assess if he/she is fit for the job. The aim of this study was to verify the association between fitness for work evaluation and Work Ability Index scores, as well as individual factors (age, gender, and anthropometric characteristics) and work-related variables (job type, years of working duration). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted within the occupational health surveillance of health and public employers in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (2018–2022). The participants voluntarily agreed to answer the standard Work Ability Index questionnaire. Data were investigated by univariable as well as multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: The Work Ability Index of the workers included in the study (N = 6893) resulted negatively associated with age, female sex, and body mass index. It was averagely lower in nurses and assistive personnel, and the highest in medical doctors and public employers. The fitness for work assessments was also statistically related to WAI scores. The results obtained from the univariable and the multivariable analysis were consistent. CONCLUSIONS: The Work Ability Index is an efficient tool to measure an individual’s capability to sustain job demands, and can be taken into account to produce a correct fitness for work evaluation and consequently preserve workers’ health status.