title: Exploring national surveillance for health-related workplace absenteeism: lessons learned from the 2009 influenza A pandemic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a pilot study to test the feasibility of using national surveillance of workplace absenteeism to assess the pandemic's impact on the workplace to plan for preparedness and continuity of operations and to contribute to health awareness during the emergency response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based and sentinel worksite approaches were used. Monthly measures of the 1-week prevalence of health-related absenteeism among full-time workers were estimated using nationally representative data from the Current Population Survey. Enhanced passive surveillance of absenteeism was conducted using weekly data from a convenience sample of sentinel worksites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nationally, the pandemic's impact on workplace absenteeism was small. Estimates of 1-week absenteeism prevalence did not exceed 3.7%. However, peak workplace absenteeism was correlated with the highest occurrence of both influenza-like illness and influenza-positive laboratory tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systems for monitoring workplace absenteeism should be included in pandemic preparedness planning.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, , National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Groenewold
authors.affiliation: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Doris L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Konicki
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, , National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Sara E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Luckhaupt
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, , National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomaa
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Koonin
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*