[Return to work after a non-work related sick spell: the role of age, sex, economic activity and autonomous community].
BACKGROUND
To describe the duration of non-work related sickness absences incidents according to age, sex, economic activity and Autonomous Community.


METHODS
The sample of non-work related sick spells included 76,598 incident cases started in 2002 among workers cover by the general regime of the Social Security system, and managed by an insurance company. The median and intercuartils range were estimated by sex, age, economic activities and Autonomous Comunnity. Probability ratio of continuing out of work (PRCOW) were compared among Autonomous Comunities, after adjusting by sexo, age and economic activities, taking Navarra as reference, using a log-logistic regression model with a gamma distribution.


RESULTS
The 25% of cases there were returned to work at 40 day, the 50% at 90 day; and the 75% at 26 degrees day. Extremadura (PCOW=2,7; IC95%: 2,4-3,1) and Galicia (2,6; 2,4-2,9) showed the highest differences with Navarra. There were also statistically significant differences among economic activities after adjusting by age and sex.


CONCLUSIONS
Return to work after a non-work related sick spell is a complex process, which is influenced by age, sex, economic activities and autonomous community.
Benavides
Fernando G
FG
Unidad de Investigación en Salud Laboral, Departamento de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Plana
Manel
M
Serra
Consol
C
Domínguez
Ruth
R
Despuig
Miquel
M
Aguirre
Susana
S
Soria
Mònica
M
Sampere
Maite
M
Gimeno
David
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D006801:Humans; D012737:Sex Factors; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain