[Certain sickness absence factors among workers older than 45 years]

Along with many other factors, such as demographic features of a given population, working conditions, psychosocial, social and cultural factors, socioeconomic transformation and labor market situation exert their effects on health conditions of workers and also on sickness absence. The aim of the study was to highlight major determinants, including non-health determinants, which shape the sickness absence among persons older than 45 years.

The study was carried out in a group of workers aged over 45 years, but before reaching the age of retirement who were employed in the production and production-related sectors in the years 1996-2000. Individual Sickness Absence Cards (ISAC) and the questionnaire "Health-related and socioeconomic determinants of early retirement among workers at the age of work capability" were used to collect the empirical material. The material was analyzed using Cox regression, separately for short-term (4-14 days) and long-term (longer than 14 days) sickness absence cases, to calculate hazard ratio (HR).

The analysis based on a multi-factor model of the short-term sickness absence risk showed the effect of the following variables on the aforementioned risk: too heavy physical work (HR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.24-2.18), low self-assessment of one's own health (HR = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.96-1.45), and frequent (at least once a month) beer drinking (HR = 1.15; 95% CI: 0.96-1.38). The risk of long-term sickness absence was increased for health-related variables, such as occurrence of 2-3 chronic diseases (HR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.05-3.30), occurrence of 4 or more diseases (HR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.43-4.92), and smoking (HR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.11-1.98).

The results of the study may become an important signal for undertaking preventive activities to improve working conditions for older physical workers, as well as for improving health and work ability in this group of workers.