PMID: identifier of
Pubmed reference: |
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 (21242277)  |
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| title: |
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Differences in the association between sickness absence and long-term sub-optimal health by occupational position: a 14-year follow-up in the GAZEL cohort. |
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| author(s): |
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Jane Ferrie ( ) 1, Mika Kivimäki1, 2, Hugo Westerlund3, Jenny Head1, Maria Melchior4, Archana Singh-Manoux1, 4, Marie Zins4, Marcel Goldberg4, Kristina Alexanderson5, Jussi Vahtera6 |
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| abstract: |
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OBJECTIVES: Although sickness absence is a strong predictor of health, whether this association varies by occupational position has rarely been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate overall and diagnosis-specific sickness absence as a predictor of future long-term sub-optimal health by occupational position. METHODS: This was a prospective occupational cohort study of 15 320 employees (73% men) aged 37-51. Sickness absences (1990-1992), included in 13 diagnostic categories, were examined by occupational position in relation to self-rated health measured annually during 1993-2006. RESULTS: 60% of employees in higher occupational positions and 22% in lower positions had no sickness absence. Conversely, 9.5% of employees in higher positions and 40% in lower positions had over 30 sick-leave days. Repeated-measures logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex and chronic disease showed employees with over 30 days absence, compared to those with no absence, had approximately double the risk of sub-optimal health over the 14-year follow-up in all occupational positions. 1-30 days sick-leave was associated with greater odds of sub-optimal health in the high (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.27 to 1.72) and intermediate (1.29; 1.15 to 1.45) but not lower occupational positions (1.06; 0.82 to 1.38). Differences by occupational position in the association between sickness absence in 13 specific diagnostic categories and sub-optimal health over the ensuing 14 years were limited to stronger associations observed with cancer and mental disorders in the higher occupational positions. CONCLUSIONS: The association between sickness absence of more than 30 days over 3 years and future long-term self-rated health appears to differ little by occupational position. |
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| subject: |
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Life Sciences/Health Care Sciences and Epidemiology
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| fulltext language: |
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English |
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| ISSN: |
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1470-7926 |
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| publication format: |
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Article in peer-reviewed journal |
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| DOI: |
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10.1136/oem.2010.060210 |
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| journal: |
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Occup Environ Med |
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| Audience: |
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international |
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| publication date: |
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2011-10 |
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| submission date: |
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2011-01-17 |
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| volume: |
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68 |
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| issue: |
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10 |
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| page, identifiant, ...: |
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729-33 |
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| MeSH Descriptor(s): |
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Adult – Female – Follow-Up Studies – France – Health Status – Humans – Male – Middle Aged – Occupational Diseases – Occupational Health – Occupations – Prospective Studies – Risk Factors – Sick Leave – Social Class |
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| contract, financing: |
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This work was supported by an ESRC Research Seminar Series Competition 2007/8 (RES-451-26- 0491). JV and MK are supported by the Academy of Finland (grants #124271, #124322 and 129262), HW is supported by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS, grants #2004-2021, #2007-1143). ASM, JEF and JH are supported by the National Institutes on Aging (NIA RO1AG013196). AS-M is supported by a EUYRI award from the European Science Foundation. KA was supported by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research. |
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