title: Low workload as a trigger of sick leave: results from a Swedish case-crossover study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if exposure to an unusually low workload when ill can trigger taking sick leave.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-crossover design was applied to 546 sick-leave spells obtained from a cohort of 1430 employees within six Swedish workplaces. New sick-leave spells were reported from the workplaces during 3 to 12 months follow-up. Exposure was assessed in structured participant interviews at sick leave. Case and control periods from the same individual were sampled according to the matched-pair and usual-frequency approaches. Results are presented as odds ratios with surrounding 95% confidence intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odds ratio of sick leave on a day with an unusually low workload was 2.57 (confidence interval, 1.07-6.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Becoming ill on a day with a lower workload than usual can trigger the decision to take sick leave.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Public Health Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. hanna.hultin@ki.se
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hultin
authors.forename: Jette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alexanderson
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: Ingvar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lundberg
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallqvist
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*