Overweight and distress have a joint association with long-term sickness absence among Dutch employees

To examine separate and joint associations of overweight and distress with long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

We included a total of 2724 Dutch employees participating in occupational health checks between 2008 and 2012. Overweight was defined as a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or more; distress concerned a score of 10 or more on the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire. Long-term sickness absence was defined as sickness absence lasting more than 2 consecutive weeks. Synergy was estimated from logistic regression models using the synergy index.

The joint association of overweight and distress with LTSA was significant in women (odds ratio, 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.31 to 4.24), but not in men (odds ratio, 1.58; 95%confidence interval, 0.74 to 3.37). In women, we found a synergy index of 1.04 (95%confidence interval, 0.34 to 3.15).

The joint association of overweight and distress with LTSA was not synergistic. Addressing comorbid overweight and distress may help reduce the burden of LTSA in women.