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Explaining socioeconomic differences in sickness absence: the Whitehall II Study
1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|February 6, 1993
Summary
Lower employment grades show significantly higher sickness absence rates, with risk factors explaining only a small portion of this socioeconomic gradient. Further research is needed to understand the remaining disparities in employee absence.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Social Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Socioeconomic status is linked to health outcomes, including sickness absence.
- Understanding the socioeconomic gradient in sickness absence is crucial for workplace health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and explain the socioeconomic gradient in sickness absence among civil servants.
- To identify risk factors contributing to grade-based differences in sickness absence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of questionnaire and sickness absence data from the Whitehall II study.
- Utilized employment grade as a measure of socioeconomic status.
- Examined short (< or = 7 days) and long (> 7 days) spells of sickness absence.
Main Results:
- A strong inverse relationship was observed between employment grade and sickness absence.
- Men in the lowest grade had 6.1 times higher rates of short and long sickness absence spells compared to the highest grade.
- Identified risk factors (behavioral, work-related, social) explained approximately one-third of the grade differences in sickness absence.
Conclusions:
- Significant grade differences in sickness absence mirror socioeconomic disparities in morbidity and mortality.
- Identified risk factors account for a limited proportion of the observed grade differences.
- Unrecognized factors likely play a substantial role in explaining the socioeconomic gradient in sickness absence.