title: The association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to investigate the association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2007 to 2008. The study population includes 276 cleaners, 144 Danish and 132 non-Western immigrant cleaners. Cumulative sickness absences during a 6-month period from administrative records were subdivided into no sickness absence (0 days), low occurrence of sickness absence (1-10 days) and high occurrence of sickness absence (over 10 days). Measures of health consisted of self-report and objective assessments. The relationship between sickness absence and health was analyzed through multinomial logistic regression, stratified by immigrant status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For both Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners, poor self-reported health was significantly related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among Danish cleaners, high blood pressure was related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among non-Western immigrant cleaners, total body pain and having one or more diagnosed chronic disease were related to high occurrence of sickness absence. No association between health and low occurrence of sickness absence was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings confirm the importance of health for high occurrence of sickness absence, in both ethnic groups. Moreover, low occurrence of sickness absence was not related to the health conditions investigated.
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkalle 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. igc@nrcwe.dk
authors.forename: Isabella G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: Charlotte D N
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Marie B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Mari-Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Flyvholm
authors.forename: Kasper
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Olesen
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Madeleine
authors.forename: Dorte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ekner
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Søgaard
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holtermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000208:ethnology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D057566:Self Report; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*