Article co-authored by Pablo Villalobos, MICARE young researcher; with Nestor Asiamah, Kofi Awuviry-Newton, Edgar R. Vieira, Andrew Bateman, Hafiz T.A. Khan, Henry Kofi Mensah, and Emelia Danquah.

The research was published on the MPDI website (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute). The study explores the relationship between physical activity in older people and their work activity, specifically with having multiple jobs.

Data from six countries (Russia, Mexico, China, India, Ghana and South Africa) were collected through surveys of more than 34,100 older people, between 50 and 114 years old; carried out between 2007 and 2010.

Main findings:

The study shows important differences in the types of physical activity (moderate and intense) between countries. Although in general no relationship is found between physical activity and having multiple jobs, there is a relationship mediated by the country of residence: older people in countries where multiple jobs are more common, tend to report higher levels of intense physical activity; versus people with a single job or unemployed, who do moderate physical activity.