Active Living Ties to Long Work Life and Higher Earnings, NIH Study Finds
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the United States report a link between sustained physical activity, longer work histories, and higher salaries. The study results appeared in the medical journal CORR, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.
In a large survey, more than 19,000 adults took part. Participants answered questions about their ability to climb stairs, endure walking several blocks, or move around a room without undue fatigue. Researchers categorized mobility into six levels, with zero representing great difficulty performing daily activities that require physical effort, and the fifth level indicating mobility that is effectively unlimited for everyday tasks.
Participants were followed for a decade. The analysis showed that for each one-step drop in mobility, a participant could experience an annual income decrease of about three thousand dollars. Conversely, those who remained physically active earned roughly six thousand five hundred dollars more per year than their inactive peers.
Beyond daily movement, the study found that exercising once a week produced meaningful gains in mobility among older adults. A separate survey focused on individuals aged sixty to eighty tracked changes in mobility two and four years after initial assessment. The findings showed that active adults over fifty-five were more likely to stay employed and maintain higher earnings over time.
These results align with a growing body of evidence suggesting that regular physical activity supports functional independence and economic opportunity in aging populations. The authors note that even modest, sustainable activity can contribute to better stamina, smoother performance of routine tasks, and a longer productive work life. The overall message emphasizes that staying active is not just about health benefits, but also about preserving capacity to contribute economically as people age. Attribution: National Institutes of Health researchers and the CORR journal publish these findings, with the study design and data made available to the scientific community through standard publication channels.
Earlier discussions in the field have explored the relationship between exercise and weight management, highlighting that physical activity can be a practical component of health strategies without requiring extreme or unrealistic routines. The current results reinforce the idea that even moderate activity levels offer tangible advantages in mobility and income potential over time. Researchers caution that individual outcomes vary, and other factors such as access to opportunities, education, and social support influence how mobility and earnings unfold in real life.