Abstract
BackgroundIt is well documented that tobacco, alcohol and drug use can be detrimental to health. However, little is known about the relative impact of these factors on sickness absence, and whether the association between use of these substances and sickness absence is different for women and men. The aim of this study was to examine the association between tobacco-, alcohol- and drug use, as well as polydrug use, and sickness absence among Norwegian employees.MethodsDuring 2011–2014, 1911 employees in Norway completed a questionnaire about their tobacco, alcohol and drug use habits, their total number of sickness absences during the last 12 months, and the length (no. of days) of their last sick leave. Samples of oral fluid were analysed for illegal and medicinal drugs.ResultsDaily smoking and current use of medical drugs were significantly associated with sickness absence. Employees who were daily smokers also had an increased likelihood of having long and frequent sickness absence. Use of snus (Swedish moist snuff), binge drinking, current use of illegal drugs and polydrug use were not significantly associated with sickness absence. Women and young participants were more likely to report having had sickness absence the past 12 months. However, the associations between daily smoking and medical drug use and sickness absence, respectively, were only statistically significant for men.ConclusionAccording to this study, daily smoking and use of medical drugs are the substance use habits most closely associated with sickness absence. Implications for future research are discussed.
Highlights
It is well documented that tobacco, alcohol and drug use can be detrimental to health
The aim of the current study was to investigate the associations between the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal and medical drugs and general sickness absence among Norwegian employees
Bivariately, the use of medical drugs and daily smoking were significantly associated with a higher occurrence of sickness absence, with the highest occurrence of more than three last year sickness absences found among current medical drug users (Table 2)
Summary
It is well documented that tobacco, alcohol and drug use can be detrimental to health. The aim of this study was to examine the association between tobacco-, alcohol- and drug use, as well as polydrug use, and sickness absence among Norwegian employees. Despite an explicitly stated political goal to reduce it, the Norwegian sickness absence prevalence has remained unchanged for several years [1]. Tobacco-, alcohol- and drug use are lifestyle factors associated with poorer health and reduced mental capacity, and likely to affect sickness absence. While illicit drug use is deemed an important contributor to the global burden of disease [3], cigarette smoking and alcohol use are ranked as some of the most important preventable risk factors [4]. The detrimental health effects of cigarette smoking are well-established, and involve an increased risk of several forms of cancer [7], increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [8] and other respiratory problems [9], and increased
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