title: Respiratory symptoms and respiratory-related absence from work among health care workers in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate respiratory symptoms and respiratory-related absence from work among Swedish health care workers (HCWs).
  
  
  METHODS
  From a postal questionnaire study among a general Swedish working population (n = 12,186), we identified 2156 HCW (555 assistant nurses, 377 nurses, 109 physicians, and 1115 others), including 429 with mainly cleaning tasks (HCW-cleaning). The remaining respondents were classified as non-HCW. Multiple logistic regressions with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare respiratory symptoms and respiratory-related absence from work between HCW and non-HCW, adjusting for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of adult onset asthma was 4.3% in HCW and 3.0% in non-HCW (p = .003). Asthmatic symptoms during the past year were reported mainly by HCW-cleaning, 14.7%, in comparison to 8.3% among non-HCW (p < .0001). HCW had an increased odds ratio (OR) for asthmatic symptoms during the past year (OR 1.3, 95% CI (1.1-1.5)) and more prominent among assistant nurses (OR 1.5, 95% CI (1.1-2.0)) and HCW-cleaning (OR 1.9, 95% CI (1.4-2.5)). Respiratory-related absence from work in the past year was reported by 1.4% of non-HCW, 3.0% of HCW-cleaning, 2.9% of nurses, and 1.6% of assistant nurses. Taking smoking and age into account, there was still significantly increased respiratory-related absence from work in nurses (OR 2.0, 95% CI (1.1-3.8)) and in HCW-cleaning (OR 2.1, 95% CI (1.2-3.7)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCW in Sweden, especially those with cleaning tasks, reported more respiratory symptoms and respiratory-related absence from work than the general working population. There is a need for longitudinal studies with detailed information on both occupational exposures and socioeconomic factors to explore what influences respiratory-related absence from work among HCW.
authors.affiliation: Section of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. jeong-lim.kim@amm.gu.se
authors.forename: Jeong-Lim
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Torén
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lohman
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ekerljung
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lötvall
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lundbäck
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andersson
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology