Absenteeism Costs Due to COVID-19 and Their Predictors in Non-Hospitalized Patients in Sweden: A Poisson Regression Analysis

Marta A. Kisiel (), Seika Lee, Helena Janols and Ahmad Faramarzi ()
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Marta A. Kisiel: Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
Seika Lee: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Primary Care Medicine, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
Helena Janols: Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Infectious Diseases, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
Ahmad Faramarzi: Department of Health Economics and Management, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia 57147-83734, Iran

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Background: This study aimed to estimate absenteeism costs and identify their predictors in non-hospitalized patients in Sweden. Methods: This cross-sectional study’s data were derived from the longitudinal project conducted at Uppsala University Hospital. The mean absenteeism costs due to COVID-19 were calculated using the human capital approach, and a Poisson regression analysis was employed to determine predictors of these costs. Results: The findings showed that the average absenteeism cost due to COVID-19 was USD 1907.1, compared to USD 919.4 before the pandemic ( p < 0.001). Notably, the average absenteeism cost for females was significantly higher due to COVID-19 compared to before the pandemic (USD 1973.5 vs. USD 756.3, p = 0.001). Patients who had not fully recovered at the 12-month follow-up exhibited significantly higher costs than those without symptoms at that point (USD 3389.7 vs. USD 546.7, p < 0.001). The Poisson regression revealed that several socioeconomic factors, including age, marital status, country of birth, educational level, smoking status, BMI, and occupation, along with COVID-19-related factors such as severity at onset, pandemic wave, persistent symptoms at the follow-up, and newly introduced treatment for depression after the infection, were significant predictors of the absenteeism costs. Conclusions: Our study reveals that the mean absenteeism costs due to COVID-19 doubled compared to the year preceding the pandemic. This information is invaluable for decision-makers and contributes to a better understanding of the economic aspects of COVID-19.

Keywords: absenteeism costs due to COVID-19; loss of productivity due to COVID-19; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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