Descriptive statistics for the analytical sample
| Study | Sex | Participants (n) | Mean (range) age at baseline | Mean (range) of years of follow-up | Participants (n) (%) with poor SRH | Participants (n) (%) with low education | Participants (n) (%) with low occupation | Work exits (n) during follow-up | Health-related exits (n) (% of all exits) |
| BHPS | M | 1261 | 47.1 (45.0–55.0) | 7.3 (0.5–17.5) | 100 (7.9) | 226 (17.9) | 552 (43.8) | 548 | 123 (22.4) |
| F | 1454 | 46.8 (45.0–55.0) | 7.3 (0.6–17.5) | 118 (8.1) | 332 (22.8) | 424 (29.2) | 682 | 180 (26.4) | |
| ELSA | M | 1557 | 52.1 (45.0–55.0) | 7.2 (1.0–14.4) | 51 (3.3) | 344 (22.1) | 630 (40.5) | 734 | 94 (12.8) |
| F | 2300 | 51.3 (45.0–55.0) | 7.0 (0.9–14.5) | 68 (3.0) | 609 (26.5) | 878 (38.2) | 1055 | 146 (13.8) | |
| NSHD | M | 1055 | 43.0 (43.0–43.0) | 18.8 (1.0–25.0) | 31 (2.9) | 413 (39.1) | 110 (10.4) | 782 | 114 (14.6) |
| F | 1084 | 43.0 (43.0–43.0) | 17.2 (1.0–25.0) | 18 (1.7) | 432 (39.9) | 140 (12.9) | 949 | 144 (15.2) | |
| Whitehall II | M | 5017 | 49.1 (39.6–62.9) | 11.7 (0.0–22.3) | 457 (9.1) | 1878 (37.4) | 333 (6.6) | 3658 | 292 (8.0) |
| F | 2151 | 50.1 (39.6–62.1) | 9.8 (0.0–21.9) | 297 (13.8) | 1244 (57.8) | 814 (37.8) | 1690 | 170 (10.1) | |
| FPS | M | 11 415 | 48.8 (40.0–65.0) | 6.7 (0.1–11.0) | 820 (7.2) | 1660 (14.5) | 3986 (34.9) | 3258 | 912 (28.0) |
| F | 45 335 | 48.2 (40.0–65.0) | 6.9 (0.1–11.0) | 2068 (4.6) | 4824 (10.6) | 6731 (14.8) | 12 563 | 4141 (33.0) | |
| GAZEL | M | 14 657 | 45.0 (41.0–50.0) | 10.0 (0.0–25.0) | 1111 (7.6) | 2908 (19.8) | 1741 (11.9) | 14 657 | 252 (1.7) |
| F | 3719 | 44.3 (40.0–50.0) | 11.1 (0.1–25.0) | 373 (10.0) | 1169 (31.4) | 714 (19.2) | 3719 | 177 (4.8) | |
| HRS | M | 3724 | 52.9 (45.1–56.0) | 11.2 (2.0–22.7) | 315 (8.5) | 577 (15.5) | 1166 (31.3) | 2798 | 129 (4.6) |
| F | 4435 | 51.7 (45.0–56.0) | 11.3 (2.0–22.6) | 299 (6.7) | 610 (13.8) | 1018 (23.0) | 3293 | 138 (4.2) |
BHPS, British Household Panel; ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; FPS, Finnish Public Sector Study; GAZEL, Electricité De France-Gaz De France; HRS, Health and Retirement Study; NSHD, National Survey of Health and Development; SRH, self-rated health.