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Gender trends in sick-listing with musculoskeletal symptoms in a Swedish county during a period of rapid increase in sickness absence

Department of Health and Environment, Division of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden

Gunnel Hensing

Department of Health and Environment, Division of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden

Kristina Alexanderson

Department of Health and Environment, Division of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden

Sickness absence and disability pension due to musculoskeletal diagnoses has increased in Sweden. Study objective — To study gender trends in sickness absence with musculoskeletal diagnoses and its changes in 1985—87. Design — A prospective population-based study of all new sick-leave spells exceeding seven days in 1985—87. Sickness absence with ``all diagnoses'' was compared to ``all musculoskeletal diagnoses'', the latter group was also divided into three sub-groups. Setting — The county of Östergötland, Sweden. Participants — All sick-leave insured aged 16—65; 107,000 women and 100,000 men. Results — More women than men were sick-listed in ``all diagnoses'' in 1985. There were corresponding gender differences in sickness absence with musculoskeletal diagnoses except with the diagnosis ``low back pain''. Sick-listing with musculoskeletal diagnoses increased for both women and men from 1985 to 1987, but the increase was consistently much higher for women, especially for younger women.

Key Words: sickness absence • sick-leave • gender • musculoskeletal disorders • neck/shoulder pain • low back pain.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 26, No. 3, 204-213 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/14034948980260031101


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