Table 1.
Characteristics of GAZEL cohort participants, 1995 (n = 13 179)
| Variable | Men (n = 9597) |
Women (n = 3582) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | Mean (SE) annual days sickness absence (P for inter-group difference) | n (%) | Mean (SE) annual days sickness absence (P for inter-group difference) | |
| Work and family demands | ||||
| No dependants | 502 (5.3) | 14.5 (1.9)*** | 394 (11.2) | 20.8 (2.4)** |
| Low demands | 4581 (48.2) | 9.9 (0.5) | 1436 (40.7) | 19.3 (1.1) |
| Moderate demands | 3735 (39.3) | 11.8 (0.6) | 1499 (42.4) | 21.6 (1.2) |
| High demands | 681 (7.2) | 16.3 (1.8) | 204 (5.8) | 34.4 (4.6) |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 42–45 | – | – | 1550 (43.3) | 20.4 (1.2)* |
| 45–50 | 4258 (44.4) | 15.0 (0.7)*** | 877 (24.5) | 23.6 (1.3) |
| 51–55 | 5339 (55.6) | 8.5 (0.4) | 1155 (32.2) | 18.8 (2.8) |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married/cohabitating | 8864 (92.5) | 11.0 (0.4)*** | 2686 (75.0) | 19.5 (0.8)*** |
| Single | 196 (2.0) | 20.4 (4.1) | 240 (6.7) | 19.4 (3.0) |
| Divorced/widow/separated | 527 (5.50) | 15.7 (1.9) | 654 (18.3) | 29.4 (2.2) |
| Occupational grade | ||||
| High | 3843 (40.0) | 6.6 (0.4)*** | 431 (12.0) | 9.9 (1.4)*** |
| Intermediate | 4739 (49.4) | 12.8 (0.5) | 2457 (68.6) | 20.1 (0.9) |
| Low | 1015 (10.6) | 23.5 (1.8) | 694 (19.4) | 27.6 (2.1) |
| Current smoker | ||||
| No | 7605 (79.3) | 10.5 (0.4)*** | 3012 (84.1) | 20.1 (0.9)*** |
| Yes | 1992 (20.8) | 15.0 (1.0) | 570 (15.9) | 27.5 (2.1) |
| Alcohol consumption | ||||
| None | 753 (8.8) | 22.1 (2.2)*** | 824 (27.22) | 25.6 (1.8)** |
| Light drinker | 4518 (53.0) | 10.9 (0.5) | 1488 (49.16) | 20.3 (1.1) |
| Moderate drinker | 1992 (23.4) | 9.9 (0.8) | 600 (19.82) | 18.9 (1.7) |
| Heavy drinker | 1265 (14.8) | 9.9 (0.8) | 115 (3.80) | 16.6 (3.9) |
| Body weight | ||||
| Underweight (BMI < 20 kg/m2) | 118 (1.5) | 19.3 (6.0)*** | 449 (14.0) | 22.2 (2.4)** |
| Normal (BMI 20–24.9 kg/m2) | 3498 (40.3) | 10.0 (0.6) | 2001 (62.7) | 19.5 (1.0) |
| Overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2) | 4341 (50.0) | 10.4 (0.5) | 561 (17.6) | 22.0 (1.9) |
| Obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 732 (8.4) | 14.6 (1.6) | 180 (5.6) | 31.2 (4.2) |
| Number work stress factors | ||||
| 0 | 2430 (25.6) | 9.3 (0.7)*** | 505 (14.3) | 17.3 (1.8)** |
| 1 | 4122 (43.4) | 10.2 (0.5) | 1347 (38.2) | 19.3 (1.2) |
| 2 | 2396 (25.2) | 13.4 (0.8) | 1256 (35.6) | 23.5 (1.4) |
| 3 | 546 (5.8) | 20.2 (2.4) | 421 (11.9) | 25.3 (2.1) |
| Number of dependants | ||||
| 0 | 502 (5.2) | 14.5 (1.9)** | 394 (11.0) | 20.9 (2.4) |
| 1 | 1306 (13.6) | 13.9 (1.2) | 723 (20.2) | 21.3 (1.7) |
| 2 | 3197 (33.3) | 11.4 (0.6) | 1449 (40.4) | 21.5 (1.9) |
| 3 | 2238 (23.3) | 9.4 (0.6) | 601 (16.8) | 20.0 (1.7) |
| ≥4 | 2354 (24.5) | 11.4 (0.8) | 415 (11.9) | 23.7 (2.6) |
| Personal social support | ||||
| Sufficient | 6118 (65.2) | 9.9 (0.4)*** | 1598 (45.9) | 20.2 (1.1) |
| Insufficient | 3270 (34.8) | 13.9 (0.8) | 1883 (54.1) | 22.0 (1.1) |
*P for inter-group difference in absence days <0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001