title: The contribution of work engagement to self-perceived health, work ability, and sickness absence beyond health behaviors and work-related factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether work engagement influences self-perceived health, work ability, and sickness absence beyond health behaviors and work-related characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employees of two organizations participated in a 6-month longitudinal study (n = 733). Using questionnaires, information was collected on health behaviors, work-related characteristics, and work engagement at baseline, and self-perceived health, work ability, and sickness absence at 6-month follow-up. Associations between baseline and follow-up variables were studied using multivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses and changes in R2 were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low work engagement was related with low work ability (odds ratio: 3.68; 95% confidence interval: 2.15 to 6.30) and long-term sickness absence (odds ratio: 1.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 3.27). Work engagement increased the explained variance in work ability and sickness absence with 4.1% and 0.5%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Work engagement contributes to work ability beyond known health behaviors and work-related characteristics.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Public Health (Miss Rongen and Drs Robroek and Burdorf), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam; and Department of Psychology (Drs Schaufeli), University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rongen
authors.forename: Suzan J W
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Robroek
authors.forename: Wilmar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schaufeli
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burdorf
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D055815:Young Adult