Work-Related Exposures and Sickness Absence Trajectories: A Nationally Representative Follow-up Study among Finnish Working-Aged People

Tea Lallukka, Leena Kaila-Kangas, Minna Mänty, Seppo Koskinen, Eija Haukka, Johanna Kausto, Päivi Leino-Arjas, Risto Kaikkonen, Jaana I. Halonen and Rahman Shiri
Additional contact information
Tea Lallukka: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Leena Kaila-Kangas: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland
Minna Mänty: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Seppo Koskinen: Unit of Statistics and research, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, P.O. Box 30, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Eija Haukka: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland
Johanna Kausto: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland
Päivi Leino-Arjas: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland
Risto Kaikkonen: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Jaana I. Halonen: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland
Rahman Shiri: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki, Finland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: The contribution of physically demanding work to the developmental trajectories of sickness absence (SA) has seldom been examined. We analyzed the associations of 12 physical work exposures, individually and in combination, with SA trajectories among the occupationally active in the Finnish nationally representative Health 2000 survey. We included 3814 participants aged 30–59 years at baseline, when exposure history to work-related factors was reported. The survey and interview responses were linked with the annual number of medically confirmed SA spells through 2002–2008 from national registries. Trajectory analyses identified three SA subgroups: 1 = low (54.6%), 2 = slowly increasing (33.7%), and 3 = high (11.7%). After adjustments, sitting or use of keyboard >1 year was inversely associated with the high SA trajectory (odds ratio, OR, 0.57; 95% 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.43–0.77). The odds of belonging to the trajectory of high SA increased with an increasing number of risk factors, and was highest for those with ≥4 physical workload factors (OR 2.71; 95% CI 1.99–3.69). In conclusion, these findings highlight the need to find ways to better maintain the work ability of those in physically loading work, particularly when there occurs exposure to several workload factors.

Keywords: occupational cohort; register-based; work disability; sedentary; physical heaviness; prospective (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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