TABLE 1.
The association between various measures of sickness absence and mortality, the GAZEL study.*
| Hazard ratio (95% CI), adjusted for |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure of sickness absence | No. (%) of participants | No. of deaths | Age-, sex-, and grade (A) | A + chronic conditions† (B) | B excluding first 5 years of follow-up |
| Total number of sickness-absence days (per person-year) | |||||
| 0 | 7189 (40.1) | 285 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| >0–28 | 9102 (50.7) | 357 | 1.02 (0.88–1.20) | 0.96 (0.82–1.13) | 0.96 (0.80–1.15) |
| >28 | 1657 (9.2) | 161 | 2.65 (2.16–3.24) | 2.08 (1.68–2.58) | 1.59 (1.22–2.07) |
| Number of sickness-absence episodes 1–7 days (per 10 person-years) | |||||
| 0 | 9891 (55.1) | 425 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 1–10 | 5987 (33.4) | 271 | 1.07 (0.92–1.25) | 1.01 (0.86–1.18) | 1.00 (0.84–1.20) |
| >10 | 2070 (11.5) | 107 | 1.30 (1.04–1.62) | 1.13 (0.90–1.42) | 1.04 (0.79–1.36) |
| Number of sickness-absence episodes 8–14 days (per 10 person-years) | |||||
| 0 | 13386 (74.6) | 559 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 1–5 | 3036 (16.9) | 151 | 1.22 (1.01–1.46) | 1.13 (0.94–1.35) | 1.11 (0.90–1.38) |
| >5 | 1526 (8.5) | 93 | 1.52 (1.21–1.91) | 1.28 (1.02–1.62) | 1.30 (0.99–1.71) |
| Number of sickness-absence episodes >14 days (per 10 person-years) | |||||
| 0 | 13107 (73.0) | 509 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 1–5 | 2992 (16.7) | 149 | 1.30 (1.08–1.56) | 1.20 (1.00–1.45) | 0.99 (0.79–1.24) |
| >5 | 1849 (10.3) | 145 | 2.10 (1.73–2.54) | 1.70 (1.40–2.08) | 1.36 (1.07–1.74) |
*
Sickness absence was measured across years 1990–1992. Chronic conditions were requested in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Follow-up for mortality was from 1993 to 2007.
†
Cancer, diabetes, depression, chronic bronchitis or asthma, CHD or cerebrovascular disease, and chronic hypertension entered as separate variables in the model.