No association found between sickness absence and duration of pregnancy benefit

Abstract

Objective. Issuing sickness absence certifications is a time-consuming part of GPs’ and obstetricians’ work in antenatal care. The aim was to study whether a social benefit, the Pregnancy benefit, introduced in Sweden in 1980 and especially targeted at pregnant women working in arduous occupations, had any demonstrable effect on sickness absence among employed pregnant women.Design. Data from delivered women's medical and social security records were collected for 7459 consecutively delivered women in 1978, 1986, 1992, and 1997.Setting. Two delivery wards in southern Sweden.Main outcomes measures. The mean number of days of leave provided by the Pregnancy benefit increased by 8 days up to 1986, and by an additional 6 days between 1986 and 1997, making the total increase 14 days. The mean number of days of sickness absence increased by 19 days between 1978 and 1986, but fell by 24 days between 1986 and 1997. All occupational groups studied behaved in the same way.Results. No direct correlation was found between sickness absence and the number of days of the Pregnancy benefit that were used. Instead, changes in sickness absence among pregnant women were similar to changes in sickness absence among all persons insured, both men and women.Conclusions. Increasing costs of social security insurance among pregnant women are more probably coupled to levels in the social security insurance, as pregnant women seem more inclined to apply for a sickness absence certificate during periods when the economic compensation practically equals their salary.