title: Effects of work-site health promotion on illness-related absenteeism.
abstract: This study examined the effects of work-site health promotion on employee absenteeism. Thirty-two work sites were randomized to programs for weight control and smoking cessation or to no treatment for 2 years. The prevalence of self-reported absences from work was assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results using work site as the unit of analysis showed a net reduction in the percent of workers reporting a sick day in the last month in treatment versus control work sites of 3.7% (P = .04) and 3.4% (P = .06) in cross-sectional and cohort analysis, respectively. Further analyses found that the rate of participation in smoking (P = .09) but not weight programs (P = .72) was positively associated with change in sick day prevalence and that this effect was strongest in baseline smokers (P = .002). It is concluded that work-site smoking cessation programs may yield important short-term economic benefits by reducing employee absenteeism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454-1015.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Lando
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D017132:Workplace