How job rank and control shape health across adulthood

Analyzing the roles of workplace position and agency in health over the life course

NIH-funded research New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11470683

This project looks at how whether someone is an employee, manager, or business owner and how much control they have at work relate to health for adults over their lives.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionNew York University School of Medicine NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11470683 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers will use large, existing surveys and health records to follow adults' work histories, wages, job control, and health over many years. They will compare people in different workplace positions (employees, managers, owners) to see how cumulative exposure to low control or precarious work links to self-rated health, mental health, and mortality. The team will also model how policies or changes in workplace agency might change those health patterns. Results come from analyzing national data rather than new clinical visits or treatments.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults who have worked in paid jobs (employees, supervisors/managers, or business owners) and are interested in how work conditions affect health are most relevant to this work.

Not a fit: Children, people who have never participated in the workforce, or those whose illnesses are unrelated to social or workplace factors are unlikely to directly benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to workplace changes or policies that reduce health differences and improve long-term health for people in lower-control jobs.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research has linked wages and job control to health, but using life-course data to measure cumulative effects of workplace position and test policy impacts is a newer approach.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Disease Frequency Surveys
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.