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Euro Surveill. Estimating influenza-related sick leave in Norway: Was work absenteeism higher during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic compared to seasonal epidemics?
[Source: Eurosurveillance, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
B F de Blasio (
)<SUP>1</SUP><SUP>,2</SUP>, Y Xue<SUP>1</SUP><SUP>,2</SUP>, B Iversen<SUP>2</SUP>, J Michael Gran<SUP>1</SUP><SUP>,2</SUP>
Citation style for this article: de Blasio BF, Xue Y, Iversen B, Michael Gran J. Estimating influenza-related sick leave in Norway: Was work absenteeism higher during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic compared to seasonal epidemics?. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(33):pii=20246. Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/View...rticleId=20246
Date of submission: 14 October 2011 <HR>The impact of influenza on work absenteeism is poorly documented. We used data from the national registry and Norway Post AS (>14,000 employees) to explore sickness absence patterns from 2005/06 through 2009/10 in Norway. Annually, an estimated 2.868% (mean 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.405?4.820%) of the working population obtained sick leave for influenza, of whom 0.915% (mean 95% CI: 0.453?1.590%) had diagnoses for other respiratory illnesses with influenza as underlying cause. In the 2009/10 pandemic season, the absence rate increased 1.5-fold, mainly due to a 73% increase in influenza-diagnosed sick leaves. At Norway Post AS, absence related to seasonal influenza accounted for 0.351% (mean 95% CI: 0.126?0.704%) of total person-days annually (excluding parental care absence), of which 32?43% were estimated to be self-certified. Medically certified sick leave increased 1.3-fold in the pandemic season to 0.458% (95% CI: 0.176?0.856), while self-certified sick leave remained at a level typical for seasonal influenza. We found a significant four-fold increase in work loss to care for sick children, 0.048% (95% CI: 0.031?0.070%) of person-days, compared with 0.012% (95% CI: 0.004?0.028%) in 2008/09. In conclusion, GP-certified and parental care work absence were higher in the pandemic season. More studies are needed to quantify the burden of self-certified sick leave.
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Eurosurveillance, Volume 17, Issue 33, 16 August 2012
Research articles
Estimating influenza-related sick leave in Norway: Was work absenteeism higher during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic compared to seasonal epidemics?
Research articles
Estimating influenza-related sick leave in Norway: Was work absenteeism higher during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic compared to seasonal epidemics?
B F de Blasio (
- Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Division of Infectious Disease Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Citation style for this article: de Blasio BF, Xue Y, Iversen B, Michael Gran J. Estimating influenza-related sick leave in Norway: Was work absenteeism higher during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic compared to seasonal epidemics?. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(33):pii=20246. Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/View...rticleId=20246
Date of submission: 14 October 2011 <HR>The impact of influenza on work absenteeism is poorly documented. We used data from the national registry and Norway Post AS (>14,000 employees) to explore sickness absence patterns from 2005/06 through 2009/10 in Norway. Annually, an estimated 2.868% (mean 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.405?4.820%) of the working population obtained sick leave for influenza, of whom 0.915% (mean 95% CI: 0.453?1.590%) had diagnoses for other respiratory illnesses with influenza as underlying cause. In the 2009/10 pandemic season, the absence rate increased 1.5-fold, mainly due to a 73% increase in influenza-diagnosed sick leaves. At Norway Post AS, absence related to seasonal influenza accounted for 0.351% (mean 95% CI: 0.126?0.704%) of total person-days annually (excluding parental care absence), of which 32?43% were estimated to be self-certified. Medically certified sick leave increased 1.3-fold in the pandemic season to 0.458% (95% CI: 0.176?0.856), while self-certified sick leave remained at a level typical for seasonal influenza. We found a significant four-fold increase in work loss to care for sick children, 0.048% (95% CI: 0.031?0.070%) of person-days, compared with 0.012% (95% CI: 0.004?0.028%) in 2008/09. In conclusion, GP-certified and parental care work absence were higher in the pandemic season. More studies are needed to quantify the burden of self-certified sick leave.