This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Dellve, L. Articles by Hagberg, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dellve, L. Articles by Hagberg, M. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Macro-organizational factors, the incidence of work disability, and work ability among the total workforce of home care workers in Sweden

Department of Occupational Medicine, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden, lotta.dellve{at}amm.gu.se

Catarina Karlberg

Department of Occupational Medicine, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden

Peter Allebeck

Department of Social Medicine, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

Birgitta Herloff

Department of Occupational Medicine, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden

Mats Hagberg

Department of Occupational Medicine, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden

Aims: To investigate the importance of macro-organizational factors, i.e. organizational sociodemographic and socioeconomic preconditions, of the municipal incidence of long-term sick leave, disability pension, and prevalence of workers with long-term work ability among home care workers. Methods: In an ecological study design, data from national databases were combined by record linkage. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to estimate and interpret macro-organizational factors (economic resources, region, unemployment, employment, occupational rehabilitation, return to work, age structures of inhabitants and home care workers). Results: The incidence of long-term sick leave among female home care workers was twice as high as that of male home care workers, and incidence of disability pension was about four times as high for the women. A great variation in municipal incidence of long-term sick leave, disability pension, and long-term work ability (101—264, 0.6—19.6, and 913—1,279 per 1,000 full-time equivalent workers and year) was also found. The strongest single factor for long-term work ability was a high proportion of part-time or hourly paid employees, which explained 35% of the municipal variation. Macro-organizational factors explained long-term work ability (47—62% explained variance) better than long-term sick leave (33% explained variance). There was a low rehabilitation activity; only 2% received occupational rehabilitation and 5% of those on sick leave longer than 2 weeks returned to work within 30 days. Conclusions: The differences in the municipal proportion of work ability incidence indicate a preventive potential, especially related to employment and return to work after sick leave.

Key Words: Cohort • health personnel • home-care service • home health aides • incidence • occupational diseases • retirement • sick leave • social environment • socioeconomic factors

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 34, No. 1, 17-25 (2006)
DOI: 10.1080/14034940510032194


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				U. Christensen, M. Kriegbaum, C. O. Hougaard, O. S. Mortensen, and F. Diderichsen Contextual factors and social consequences of incident disease Eur J Public Health, October 1, 2008; 18(5): 454 - 459. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Dellve, K. Skagert, and R. Vilhelmsson Leadership in workplace health promotion projects: 1- and 2-year effects on long-term work attendance Eur J Public Health, October 1, 2007; 17(5): 471 - 476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]