BMI and Medically Certified Long-Term Sickness Absence Among Japanese Employees.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:In contrast to the association between excess weight and sickness absence (SA), the association in relation to underweight has been under-researched. This study aimed to examine the effects of BMI at both extremes of its distribution on SA. METHODS:Data came from the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health study of 77,760 workers aged 20 to 59 years (66,166 males, 11,594 females). Information was collected on medically certified long-term SA (LTSA) (i.e., SA lasting???30 consecutive days) from April 2012 to March 2017. A sex-specific Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the associations. RESULTS:Among males, both obesity (hazard ratio [HR]?=?1.81, 95% CI: 1.50-2.17) and underweight (HR?=?1.56, 95% CI: 1.23-1.96) were significantly associated with LTSA compared with normal weight. This U-shaped association between BMI categories and LTSA was observed both for mental and physical disorders. Among females, an elevated risk was observed among those with overweight (HR?=?1.54, 95% CI: 1.16-2.05). CONCLUSIONS:In a cohort of the Japanese working-age population, both obesity and underweight were associated with a greater risk of LTSA in males. Future research should not overlook the excess risk of LTSA associated with underweight.

SUBMITTER: Endo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7004170 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature