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PubMedDate not supplied

Water aerobics reduces sick leave due to low back pain during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of a land-based, physical exercise program versus water aerobics on low back or pelvic pain and sick leave during pregnancy. DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Three antenatal care centers. PARTICIPANTS: 390 healthy pregnant women. INTERVENTIONS: A land-based physical exercise program or water aerobic once a week during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sick leave, pregnancy-related low back pain or pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain, or both. RESULTS: Water aerobics diminished pregnancy-related low back pain (p=.04) and sick leave due to pregnancy-related low back pain (p=.03) more than a land-based physical exercise program. CONCLUSIONS: Water aerobics can be recommended for the treatment of low back pain during pregnancy. The benefits of a land-based physical exercise program are questionable and further evaluation is needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Changes in sick leave rates and the use of pregnancy-associated social benefits among pregnant Swedish women: an outcomes study.

We attempted to determine if an amended social security system has lessened the rate of sickness absence during pregnancy in Sweden over the period 1978-1989. We studied the records of 3998 women who gave birth in 1978, 1986, 1988, and 1989 at the University Hospital in Linköping and the Värnamo County Hospital. Retrospective collection of all data concerning the rates and durations of sickness absence during pregnancy, drawing of parental benefit, and use of granted pregnancy benefit was performed from Sweden's standardized social security files. Obstetric variables concerning the course and outcome of pregnancy and delivery, as well as the health status of the newborns, were obtained from standardized and antenatal care and delivery files. Between 1978 and 1989, the rate of sickness absenteeism during pregnancy increased by almost 100% for periods of absence not supported by a doctor's certificate and by about 50% for those with a doctor's certificate. During the same time, the average number of days of sick leave per pregnant woman more than doubled. The changes were most apparent among younger pregnant women. During the decade studied, no significant differences were found with regard to antenatal care, modes of delivery, or the health status of the newborns. In spite of the introduction within the Swedish social security system of more generous rules for pregnant women, the changes in the rates of registered sick leave during pregnancy observed over time were most unfavorable. The present study indicates that the rate of sick leave during pregnancy reflects a complex social phenomenon and cannot be explained solely by an increase in the rate of actual illness or sickness. Such a rate is also likely to depend on general attitudes and expectations among pregnant women, which may vary over time. When amendments in social benefits for pregnant women are considered to improve the health status of the pregnant population, society ought to clearly define the precise aim pursued and the consequences expected to escape unintended socioeconomic results.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2004

Effects on sick-leave of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme for chronic low back, neck or shoulder pain: comparison with usual treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To test the outcome of active multidisciplinary treatment in an outpatient setting upon sick-leave status among patients with neck, shoulder and low back pain. DESIGN: Multidisciplinary treatment was administered to 121 patients (intervention group) over 4 weeks of structured intervention, followed by 8 weeks of less structured consultations. Effects of treatment were compared with usual treatment (control group: n = 97). PATIENTS: All patients were in the chronic stage of pain (average sick-leave: 6 months) with different diagnoses: neck-shoulder pain, low back pain or low back pain with radiating extremity pain. METHOD: The intervention group programme included posture corrections, pain perception, skills to cope with pain, aerobic and fitness-promoting activities and relaxation techniques administered to groups of 8-10 patients. The Local National Insurance Office referred the patients who were diagnosed by general practitioners. A 12-month follow-up by the Local National Insurance Office provided feedback about sick-leave status of all 218 patients. RESULTS: There was a significant treatment difference in proportion taken off the sick list after 12 months (intervention group: 78.5%; control group: 50.5%; p < 0.001). The difference was greater among low back pain (p < 0.001) than among neck-shoulder (p < 0.053) and low back pain with radiating extremity pain (p < 0.031) patients. CONCLUSION: Long-term effects of active multidisciplinary treatment were superior to treatment as usual in all diagnostic groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Corporate reported sick leave and its relationship with education, responsibility and blood pressure.

The investigation group included all 1313 employees of SAAB-SCANIA, Linköping, in the age group 50-59 years. In 1975 they were called during their working hours to the company's Physical Training Centre to be assessed. This investigation included measurements such as systolic blood pressure, height, weight and certain anthropometric measurements. Other information was obtained from the personnel records about sex, age, type of employment, educational grade, degree of responsibility, and reported sick leave in 1974 and 1975 for the workers, and between 1970 and 1975 for the salaried employees. The total number of drop-outs was 238, or 18%. Sick leave is mainly a problem of the long-term absence of a minority of employees with an ever-increasing rate of absence. Sick leave among the salaried employees decreases in relation to higher education and increased responsibility. A high level of responsibility and education characterizes a low-risk group, whereas little responsibility and a low level of education denote a high-risk group with regard to blood pressure and sick leave. A disparity--low education and medium responsibility--has earlier been described as denoting a high risk of psychosomatic diseases. In this study they showed a rate of absence lower than the average at the same time as the blood pressure is above the average.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2005

Policy implications of the relationship of sick leave benefits, individual characteristics, and fatigue to employment during radiation therapy for cancer.

Undergoing a course of radiation therapy for cancer does not preclude the need to work during treatment. This study examines the impact of sick leave benefits, individual characteristics, and fatigue on employment during radiation therapy. The conceptual model of nursing and health policy (CMNHP) and the Piper integrated fatigue model (IFM) guided this study. Seventy-seven study participants receiving radiation therapy were recruited from one community hospital. The study employed a prospective, longitudinal design. Data were collected at baseline prior to starting radiation therapy, weekly during treatment, and at the 1-month follow-up visit. Only 49% of study participants had paid sick leave benefits available at the start of radiation. Age, pain, gender, side effects, availability of sick leave benefits, and fatigue were associated with work along the trajectory of radiation therapy. Further research addressing the impact of paid leave policies on the relation between work and cancer-related fatigue is warranted.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1983

Association between TMJ dysfunction and sick leaves.

Presence of clinically diagnosed TMJ dysfunction and the length of sick leaves were significantly associated in a sample of 599 male Finnish shipyard workers. Neglect of dental health care did not seem to be an explanatory factor, because the amount of untreated caries and the regularity of dental care did not differ significantly between the orthofunction and dysfunction groups. Although the association is no proof for a causal relationship, TMJ dysfunction may explain at least a part of the increase in days on sick leave, because dysfunction was found to be common and at best symptomatically treated in the population studied.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1997

Association between TMD treatment need, sick leaves, and use of health care services for adults.

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between need for treatment of temporomandibular disorders, sick leaves, and use of health care services in a study population of 441 adults born between 1927 and 1967. The findings indicated that these were strongly associated. The results were in agreement with earlier studies suggesting that stomatognathic disorders are one link between medicine and dentistry in health care. Subjects with temporomandibular disorders were significantly more often on sick leave, visited a physician more often, and had more physiotherapy and massage than subjects who did not need treatment for temporomandibular disorders. Intervention studies are needed to improve cooperation between different specialties, to eliminate unnecessary examinations as well as ineffective treatment modalities, and to decrease the cost of health care.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Psychosocial factors and low back pain, consultations, and sick leave among farmers and rural referents: a population-based study.

Farmers have more low back pain (LBP) than nonfarmers. In a previous report, we found that differences between farmers and nonfarmers in physical work exposure did not explain the LBP differences. In this report, we tested the hypothesis that psychosocial factors might explain the differences in LBP reporting, medical consultation, and sick leave. A cross-sectional population-based survey of 1,013 middle-aged farmers and 769 matched referents was performed. Data on LBP, consultations, and sick leave during lifetime was obtained along with information on psychosocial, social network, and lifestyle variables. Several of the psychosocial variables were associated with LBP but the difference in LBP prevalence between farmers and nonfarmers could be explained only marginally. Farmers and self-employed referents tended to have lower odds of sick leave because of LBP than employed referents after adjustment for psychosocial factors.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1994

Decompression for lateral lumbar spinal stenosis. Results and impact on sick leave and working conditions.

STUDY DESIGN: One hundred patients underwent lumbar nerve root decompression without fusion. All patients were registered preoperatively in a computer-coded protocol and followed at regular intervals: 4, 12, and 24 months after surgery. A number of subjective and objective variables were investigated including data on preoperative and postoperative working conditions and sick listing. Patients' opinions on pain relief were assessed using a 4-grade scale. OBJECTIVES: Surgical results and impact on sick leave and working conditions in patients who underwent surgery for lateral spinal stenosis were evaluated in a prospective, consecutive study. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Preoperatively, 81 of the patients were employed, 21 in sedentary work, 36 in moderately heavy work, and 24 in heavy work. The majority of the patients (78%) were off work (sick listed) with a mean duration of 13 months. Mean preoperative duration of sciatic pain was 2.5 years. METHODS: Working conditions were classified into one of three categories: sedentary, moderately heavy, and heavy work. Distribution of working conditions preoperatively and postoperatively was assessed in conjunction with duration of sick leave. Change of work category postoperatively was evaluated and related to preoperative working conditions. RESULTS: The effect of decompression for sciatica due to lateral spinal stenosis was gratifying in most cases with excellent results in 65% and fair in 23% of the patients concerning leg pain. The majority of patients employed preoperatively (73%) returned to work after a postoperative sick leave of 5.5 months. Patients who received disability pension postoperatively had significantly inferior surgical result concerning back pain and were also sick listed significantly longer preoperatively. CONCLUSION: Thus, lateral spinal stenosis was improved in the majority of patients (88%) who underwent surgery, and the majority of patients who were employed before surgery returned to work after.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Predictability of school absence for rate of sick leave.

School absence was studied in all children in grade 8 (mean age 15 years) in the municipality of Linköping during the school year 1969-70. The mean absence rate was 51 lessons per year. At the mean age of 27 years, 11-13 years later, information from the Swedish Social Insurance Office was collected in a 25% random sample. The median rate of sick leave was 5.3 days per year, the median number of sickness spells, 1.7 per year, the median number of days per sickness spells, 3.0 and the median income 77 000 SEK per year. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were calculated, separately for women and men, between absence rate in grade 8 on the one hand and different rates of sick leave and income on the other. For women, rs ranged between -0.06 and 0.14, for men, -0.16 to 0.21. Thus the predictive ability of school absence for rate of sick leave was found to be very low.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1985

Fetal growth and perinatal mortality in twin pregnancy--effect of sick leave and hospitalization.

Fetal growth, birth weight specific mortality rates and effect of sick leave or hospitalization on the fetal growth were investigated in a material of 476 twin pregnancies managed at University Central Hospital of Turku in years 1970-81. Birth weights of twin babies at any gestational age were slightly but not significantly higher than in earlier materials. When compared to growth curve of singleton fetuses, the growth rate of both twins is equal to singletons up to 30th week of pregnancy, being thereafter slower than in singleton pregnancies. Although duration of sick leave and hospitalization increased considerably during the study period, no change in the duration of pregnancy nor in the weight of twin babies occurred. Instead perinatal mortality decreased from 101/per thousand to 36.2/per thousand. Birth weight specific mortality rates did not differ from those in singleton fetuses.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed2005

The effects of a graded activity intervention for low back pain in occupational health on sick leave, functional status and pain: 12-month results of a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Behaviorally oriented graded activity interventions have been suggested for sick-listed workers with low back pain on return to work, but have not been extensively evaluated. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-four workers were randomly assigned to either a graded activity intervention (n = 67) or usual care (n = 67) and followed-up for 12 months. RESULTS: The graded activity group returned back to work faster with a median of 54 days compared to 67 days in the usual care group. The graded activity intervention was more effective after approximately 50 days post-randomization (HRR = 1.9, CI = 1.2-3.1, p = 0.01). Differences between the groups in number of recurrent episodes, total number of days of sick leave due to low back pain, and total number of days of sick leave due to all diagnoses, were in favor of the graded activity group, although not statistically significant. No effects of the graded activity intervention were found for functional status or pain. CONCLUSION: Graded activity intervention is a valuable strategy to enhance short-term return to work outcomes.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Long-term sick leave and disability pensioning due to back disorders of tractor drivers exposed to whole-body vibration.

In a historical 11-year follow-up study, disability pensioning and the incidence of the first sick leave of 4 weeks or longer due to back disorders has been investigated in a group of drivers exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV), mainly of agricultural tractors. The reference group comprised workers not or only slightly exposed to WBV from the same and another company. The vibration exposure of the tractor drivers was roughly around the ISO-2631 fatigue-decreased proficiency limit. The incidence of a first long-term sick leave due to back disorders was 3 per 100 person-years in tractor drivers and 2 per 100 person-years in the entire reference group. However, the incidence was not substantially increased in tractor drivers when the referents comprised only those working at the same company, suggesting selection bias. The highest relative risk (ca. 3) was found for long-term sick leave due to intervertebral disc disorders and this risk seemed to increase with the received WBV dose. That especially the incidence of intervertebral disc disorders increased, agrees well with findings in other studies. Data on disability pensioning due to back disorders are too scarce to be conclusive, but a trend towards younger disablement in tractor drivers is evident. Exposure to WBV, together with twisted posture and prolonged sitting, are considered to be responsible for the increased incidences observed in tractor drivers.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1999

Risk factors for disability pension among unemployed women on long-term sick-leave.

BACKGROUND: In 1996 some 520,000 people (13% of Sweden's working force) were either long-term sick-listed or on disability pensions. To reintroduce sick and injured people to the workforce, vocational rehabilitation has received increasing emphasis. Unemployed women seem particularly difficult to rehabilitate. One explanation could be that unemployed women have more complex problems than others; another could concern the selection of cases for vocational rehabilitation programmes. AIM: The primary aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that unemployed women on sick-leave have more severe problems than others. A second purpose was to investigate whether the manner of selection for vocational rehabilitation programmes is different for unemployed women than for others. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study analysed 364 registered long-term sick-leave cases (90 days or more) initiated during 1992-1994 in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. RESULT: Our hypothesis was supported by the study. Unemployed women were exposed to more risk factors than unemployed men or employed men and women. Regarding the selection of cases for rehabilitation, no difference was present between unemployed women and others. A finding, however not statistically significant, was that people in vocational rehabilitation, regardless of sex and employment status, were less exposed to risk factors than people not undergoing rehabilitation.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed2002

Risk factors for sick leave due to low back pain: a prospective study.

The objectives of this prospective study were to identify predictive factors for sick leave of 8 days or more due to low back pain (LBSL) and to compare them with predictive factors for low back pain with no or shorter sick leave (LB) in a cohort of French workers. The predictive factors for LBSL were a past history of low back pain (odds ratio [OR], 7.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1 to 13), a low employment grade (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.7 to 11), heavy smoking (OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 2.3 to 13), a pain score different from zero (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.5 to 9.7), required bending backward or forward at work every day repetitively (OR, 7.4; 95% CI, 2.3 to 23), overall social integration (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.3), and low social support at work (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.6 to 7.3). Low social support at work and bending backward or forward at work were more strongly associated with LBSL than with LB (P = 0.02 and P < 0.01, respectively). The implications of the results of this prospective study are that both the level of biomechanical exposure and the psychosocial work environment, especially social support, represents important dimensions to consider in the reduction of work absenteeism.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2005

Knowledge about asthma and COPD: associations with sick leave, health complaints, functional limitations, adaptation, and perceived control.

We sought to investigate associations between knowledge about the disease and sick leave, health complaints, functional limitations, adaptation and perceived control. Patients with asthma (n = 101) and COPD (n = 64) underwent lung function tests and completed questionnaires. In addition, all were asked the question: 'what is the diagnosis of your disease?', with the response categories: 'asthma' and 'COPD (chronic bronchitis or emphysema)'. Thirty-five percent of the asthma patients and 30% of the COPD patients did not know their correct diagnosis. Sick leave was not associated with knowledge about the disease in asthma and COPD. In asthma, much knowledge about management of the disease was associated with better adaptation (P = 0.01) and less perceived control over health by external factors (P = 0.02). Knowing the correct diagnosis was associated with less control over health by powerful others (P = 0.02). For COPD, more knowledge about management of the disease was associated with better adaptation (P = 0.02) and less control over health by internal factors (P = 0.01). Knowing the correct diagnosis was associated with less control over dyspnea at work (P = 0.01).

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Sick leave for family care purposes. Office of Personnel Management. Final rule.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing final regulations to expand the use of sick leave for family care purposes. Under the final regulations, an employee may use a total of up to 12 weeks of accrued sick leave each year to care for a family member with a serious health condition. This benefit broadens the options available for employees to meet their family responsibilities.

Employment↗
PubMed2005

Burnout as a predictor of medically certified sick-leave absences and their diagnosed causes.

Stress-related illnesses, such as mental, behavioral, and cardiovascular diseases, are common causes for sick-leave absences. It is generally assumed that burnout, the chronic stress syndrome, also leads to absenteeism and poor health, but this assumption has rarely been tested. The authors investigated the prospective effect of burnout on registered sick leaves and their causes in industrial employees. We collected the number of medically certified (> 3 days) absence episodes and their causes (according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases-10 diagnostic categories) of 3,895 industrial employees from a company register during 1995 to 1998. Burnout was measured in 1996 with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, which defines burnout as a 3-dimensional syndrome consisting of components of exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of professional efficacy. In Poisson regression models, the total burnout score increased the risk for future all-cause absences after adjustment for age, sex, occupation, and baseline absence. Burnout increased the risk of future absences because of mental and behavioral disorders, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Of the separate components of burnout, exhaustion was strongly related to future diseases of the circulatory system, whereas cynicism was strongly related to future diseases of the digestive system. Other differentiated effects were also found. The results of this study show that burnout is related to increased risk of future illness. This implies that burnout prevention can reduce future absenteeism and has a major economic impact on work life and health care.

Absenteeism↗