Table 1.
Background characteristics of participants in three sickness absence trajectory groups.
| Background Characteristics | All | Low | Slowly Increasing | High | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 3814 | N = 2083 | % | N = 1287 | % | N = 444 | % | |
| Gender, men | 1791 | 1062 | 50.1 | 574 | 44.6 | 155 | 34.9 |
| Marital status, single (vs. married/co-habiting) | 857 | 472 | 22.7 | 277 | 21.5 | 108 | 24.3 |
| Basic education | |||||||
| high (> 13 years) | 1831 | 1102 | 52.9 | 580 | 45.1 | 149 | 33.6 |
| intermediate (10−12 years) | 1233 | 613 | 29.4 | 449 | 34.8 | 171 | 38.5 |
| low (<9 years) | 750 | 368 | 17.7 | 258 | 20.1 | 124 | 27.9 |
| Body mass index | |||||||
| ≤24.9 (normal) | 1646 | 969 | 46.5 | 534 | 41.5 | 143 | 32.2 |
| 25−29.9, (overweight) | 1479 | 812 | 39.0 | 489 | 38.0 | 178 | 40.1 |
| ≥30 (obese) | 689 | 302 | 14.5 | 264 | 20.5 | 123 | 27.7 |
| Daily smoking, yes | 999 | 478 | 23.0 | 363 | 28.2 | 158 | 35.6 |
| Alcohol dependence, yes | 188 | 91 | 4.4 | 62 | 4.8 | 35 | 7.9 |
| Leisure time physical activity, passive | 936 | 495 | 23.8 | 303 | 23.5 | 138 | 31.1 |
| Sleep problems, yes | 2116 | 1068 | 51.3 | 741 | 57.6 | 307 | 69.1 |
| Job strain, yes | 552 | 263 | 12.6 | 196 | 15.2 | 93 | 21.0 |
| Social support at work, low | 1358 | 723 | 34.7 | 468 | 36.4 | 167 | 37.6 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders, yes | 1091 | 472 | 22.7 | 416 | 32.3 | 203 | 45.7 |
| Mental disorders, yes | 314 | 124 | 6.0 | 129 | 10.0 | 61 | 13.7 |
| Any other diseases, yes | 1361 | 662 | 31.8 | 481 | 37.4 | 218 | 49.1 |