Age-, sex-, and diagnosis-specific incidence rate of medically certified long-term sick leave among private sector employees: The Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health (J-ECOH) study.

Chihiro Nishiura,Satsue Nagahama,Chii Shimizu,Hiroko Okazaki,Akihiko Uehara,Tetsuya Mizoue,Makoto Yamamoto,Ikuko Kashino,Toshiaki Miyamoto,Motoki Endo,Kentaro Tomita,Noritada Kato,Makiko Shimizu,Aki Tomizawa,Tohru Nakagawa,Seitaro Dohi,Isamu Kabe,Taizo Murakami,Chihiro Kinugawa,Takeshi Kochi,Akiko Nanri,Akiko Okino,Akihiro Hori ,Takeshi Honda ,S Yamamoto ,Toshio Sone ,Nozomu Sasaki ,M Eguchi ,Toshio Imai

doi:10.1016/j.je.2017.01.003

Abstract

BackgroundLong-term sick-leave is a major public health problem, but data on its incidence in Japan are scarce. We aimed to present reference data for long-term sick-leave among private sector employees in Japan.MethodsThe study population comprised employees of 12 companies that participated in the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study. Details on medically certified sick-leave lasting ≥30 days were collected from each company. Age- and sex-specific incidence rate of sick-leave was calculated for the period of April 2012 to March 2014.ResultsA total of 1422 spells in men and 289 in women occurred during 162,989 and 30,645 person-years of observation, respectively. The three leading causes of sick-leave (percentage of total spells) were mental disorders (52%), neoplasms (12%), and injury (8%) for men; and mental disorders (35%), neoplasms (20%), and pregnancy-related disease (14%) for women. Incidence rate of sick-leave due to mental disorders was relatively high among men in their 20s–40s but tended to decrease with age among women. Incidence rate of sick-leave due to neoplasms started to increase after age 50 in men and after age 40 in women, making neoplasms the leading cause of sick-leave after age 50 for women and after age 60 for men and the second leading cause after age 40 for women and after age 50 for men. Pregnancy-related disease was the second leading cause of sick-leave among women aged 20–39 years.ConclusionsThese results suggest that mental disorder, neoplasms, and pregnancy-related disease are the major causes of long-term sick-leave among private sector employees in Japan.

Highlights

Long-term sick-leave is regarded as a public health problem, and increasing attention is being focused on its relationship with future health status[1] and mortality.[2]
The three leading causes of sick-leave were mental disorders (52%), neoplasms (12%), and injury (8%) for men; and mental disorders (35%), neoplasms (20%), and pregnancy-related disease (14%) for women
Incidence rate of sick-leave due to mental disorders was relatively high among men in their 20se40s but tended to decrease with age among women

Summary

Introduction

Long-term sick-leave is regarded as a public health problem, and increasing attention is being focused on its relationship with future health status[1] and mortality.[2]. In an international comparison study of incidence of medically-certified sick-leave due to mental disorders,[4] which is the leading cause of sick-leave in most high-income countries,[6] a total of 10 studies were identified in Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, and Brazil. No such studies have been conducted in Asia. Long-term sick-leave is a major public health problem, but data on its incidence in Japan are scarce. We aimed to present reference data for long-term sick-leave among private sector employees in Japan

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion