The relative impact of smoking, alcohol use and drug use on general sickness absence among Norwegian employees

Lund, Ingunn Olea; Moan, Inger Synnøve; Edvardsen, Hilde Marie Erøy

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6891-1

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The lack of association between alcohol-related problems and sick leave is at odd with prior literature showing an alcohol-sick leave association, both among Norwegian employees ( 19 , 22 , 23 , 29 ) and other populations ( 28 , 30 – 36 ). However, our results are in agreement with other studies reporting no alcohol-sick leave association ( 39 – 42 ), including studies from Norway ( 39 , 40 ). Overall, our study did not contribute to clarify the relationship between alcohol consumption and sick leave.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…In some cases, there were differences in the measurement of alcohol consumption (e.g., average weekly volume, or alcohol use disorder) ( 28 , 40 ). Moreover, although our results were consistent with some Norwegian studies ( 39 , 40 ), those results were focused on individual-level factors and not company-level determinants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…However, the evidence on the relationship between alcohol consumption and sick leave is mixed. Several studies have found sick leave to be more likely to occur among individuals with alcohol-related problems ( 6 , 19 , 26 – 36 ), others report U-shaped associations ( 2 , 24 , 37 , 38 ), and others have found no association ( 39 – 42 ) or negative associations ( 43 ), so that sick leave would be less common among those with higher levels of alcohol consumption. Some of the disparity in findings may be due to methodological differences in the operationalization of alcohol consumption and sick leave, or in the adjustment for confounders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Do Differences in Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems Explain Differences in Sick Leave? A Multilevel Analysis of 95 Work Units Within 14 Companies From the WIRUS Study

Hashemi

Dalen²,

Skogen³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundSystematic reviews have shown a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and sick leave. The effect of alcohol consumption on sick leave may, however, vary according to the work environment. While attitudes toward drinking may impact sick leave, there is little research on the contribution of drinking attitudes to sick leave. Moreover, alcohol-related problems and drinking attitudes may be influenced by the broader sociocultural contexts of the organizational units where people work.ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the relationship of alcohol-related problems and drinking attitudes with sick leave while considering the nesting of employees within working units within companies.MethodData from the WIRUS (Workplace Interventions preventing Risky alcohol Use and Sick leave) study were linked to company-registered sick leave data for 2,560 employees from 95 different work units in public (n = 9) and private companies (n = 5) in Norway. Three-level (employee, work unit, and company) negative binomial regression models were estimated to explore the 12-month prospective association of alcohol-related problems and drinking attitudes with four measures of sick leave (one-day, short-term, long-term, and overall sick leave days). Models were adjusted for gender, age, cohabitation status, educational attainment, work position, and employment sector.ResultsWe observed higher variation of one-day, short-term, and overall sick leave days between companies than between work units within companies (15, 12, and 30% vs. 0, 5, and 8%, respectively). However, neither alcohol-related problems nor drinking attitudes were associated with sick leave and, thus, those variations in sick leave were not explained by alcohol-related problems or drinking attitudes.ConclusionOur findings suggest company-level differences are more important than within company differences when explaining differences in sick leave. While alcohol-related problems or drinking attitudes were not associated with sick leave, future studies may need to explore the role of company policies, practices, or social norms in variations in sick leave rates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Do Differences in Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems Explain Differences in Sick Leave? A Multilevel Analysis of 95 Work Units Within 14 Companies From the WIRUS Study

Hashemi

Dalen²,

Skogen³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, between-country variation in sickness absence including benefits and often how the social health protection (SOCPRO) systems in each country are organized may influence the type and duration of sickness absence [ 42 ]. For instance, comparing two included Nordic countries, the likelihood of sickness absence was significantly higher for all studies conducted in Norway [ 90 , 93 , 95 , 98 , 102 , 107 , 108 ], compared to studies from Denmark [ 61 , 62 , 86 ]. These rates might be affected by the existing sickness absence benefit systems in each country.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review and meta-analysis uncovering the relationship between alcohol consumption and sickness absence. When type of design, data, and sickness absence make a difference

et al. 2022

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Aim Earlier research has revealed a strong relationship between alcohol use and sickness absence. The aim of this review was to explore and uncover this relationship by looking at differences in type of design (cross-sectional vs. longitudinal), type of data (self-reported vs. registered data), and type of sickness absence (long-term vs. short term). Method Six databases were searched through June 2020. Observational and experimental studies from 1980 to 2020, in English or Scandinavian languages reporting the results of the association between alcohol consumption and sickness absence among working population were included. Quality assessment, and statistical analysis focusing on differences in the likelihood of sickness absence on subgroup levels were performed on each association, not on each study. Differences in the likelihood of sickness absence were analyzed by means of meta-analysis. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018112078. Results Fifty-nine studies (58% longitudinal) including 439,209 employees (min. 43, max. 77,746) from 15 countries were included. Most associations indicating positive and statistically significant results were based on longitudinal data (70%) and confirmed the strong/causal relationship between alcohol use and sickness absence. The meta-analysis included eight studies (ten samples). The increased risk for sickness absence was likely to be found in cross-sectional studies (OR: 8.28, 95% CI: 6.33–10.81), studies using self-reported absence data (OR: 5.16, 95% CI: 3.16–8.45), and those reporting short-term sickness absence (OR: 4.84, 95% CI: 2.73–8.60). Conclusion This review supports, but also challenges earlier evidence on the association between alcohol use and sickness absence. Certain types of design, data, and types of sickness absence may produce large effects. Hence, to investigate the actual association between alcohol and sickness absence, research should produce and review longitudinal designed studies using registry data and do subgroup analyses that cover and explain variability of this association.

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“…However, while looking into the association between tobacco use and binge drinking, it was found that those who used tobacco were more likely to experience binge drinking than those who did not use it. A Norwegian study [40] reported that smoking or tobacco use was associated with alcohol use, particularly among men. Conversely, a study in Namibia [41] reported that both males and females who used tobacco were associated with alcohol use behaviors, but females had greater odds than males.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with different forms of alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan: a cross-sectional study

Dorji

Srichan

Apidechkul

et al. 2020

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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Background Alcohol use has impacts on several dimensions of health, including physical health and mental health, particularly in college-age populations. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence and to determine factors associated with alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan. Methods A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data from the participants. A simple random method was used to select the participants from the lists of students who were attending the four selected colleges in Bhutan in the academic year of 2019. A questionnaire was developed, and validity and reliability were verified before use. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe the general characteristics of participants, while logistic regression was used to detect the associations between variables at the significance level of α = 0.05. Results A total of 432 college students were recruited into the study, of whom 62.0% were females. The average age was 20.0 years, 40.7% were the third-year students, and 79.9% lived in college dormitories. The prevalence of current drinking was 51.6% and that of binge drinking was 19.4%. After controlling for all potential confounder factors, three variables were found to be associated with current drinking: students who had low income were more likely to be current drinkers than those who had high income (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.29–5.21); students who did not use tobacco were more likely to be current drinkers than those students who used tobacco (AOR = 6.99, 95% CI = 2.90–16.81); and students who had close friends who did not use alcohol were more likely to be current drinkers than those who had close friends who used alcohol (AOR = 5.14, 95% CI = 3.04–8.69). Four factors were found to be associated with binge drinking after controlling for all possible confounder factors: students who had high income were more likely to be binge drinkers than those who had low income (AOR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.72–5.31); students who used tobacco were more likely to be binge drinkers than those students who did not use tobacco (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.35–3.87); students whose parents used alcohol were more likely to be binge drinkers than those students whose parents did not use alcohol (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.02–3.01); and students whose close friends used alcohol were more likely to be binge drinkers than those who had close friends who did not use alcohol (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.05–4.87). Conclusions There is a high prevalence in alcohol use among the college students in Bhutan. Effective health promotion programs should be implemented by focusing on reducing the alcohol consumption among college students.

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The relative impact of smoking, alcohol use and drug use on general sickness absence among Norwegian employees

Cited by 17 publications

References 26 publications

Do Differences in Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems Explain Differences in Sick Leave? A Multilevel Analysis of 95 Work Units Within 14 Companies From the WIRUS Study

Do Differences in Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems Explain Differences in Sick Leave? A Multilevel Analysis of 95 Work Units Within 14 Companies From the WIRUS Study

A systematic review and meta-analysis uncovering the relationship between alcohol consumption and sickness absence. When type of design, data, and sickness absence make a difference

Factors associated with different forms of alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan: a cross-sectional study

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