Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

  • Volume 35
  • /
  • Pages.32.1-32.10
  • /
  • 2023
  • /
  • 1225-3618(pISSN)
  • /
  • 2052-4374(eISSN)
The Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (대한직업환경의학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The relationship between fatigue and sickness absence from work

  • Minsun Kim (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Jiho Kim (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • SeongCheol Yang (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Dong-Wook Lee (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Shin-Goo Park (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Jong-Han Leem (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Hwan-Cheol Kim (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital)
  • Received : 2023.04.02
  • Accepted : 2023.07.20
  • Published : 2023.12.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Background: Although many studies have been conducted on worker fatigue and sickness absence, the association between fatigue and sickness absence is unclear in Korean workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of worker fatigue on future sickness absence. Methods: The study was conducted on workers who received medical check-ups at a university hospital for two consecutive years (2014-2015). During check-ups in the first year, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to assess fatigue levels, and during check-ups in the second year, sickness absence was surveyed to determine whether they had been absent from work due to physical or mental illness during previous 12 months. The χ2 test was used to analyze relationships between sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, fatigue levels, and sickness absence. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression analysis controlled for confounding factors. Results: A total of 12,250 workers were included in the study, and 396 (3.2%) workers experienced more than one day of sickness absence during the study period. Adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.64-4.28) in the moderate-fatigue group and 6.87 (95% CI: 4.93-9.57) in the high-fatigue group versus the low-fatigue group. For men in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.40 (95% CI: 2.58-4.48) and 8.94 (95% CI: 6.12-13.07), and for women in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 2.93 (95% CI: 1.68-5.10) and 3.71 (95% CI: 1.84-7.49), respectively. Conclusions: Worker fatigue is associated with sickness absence during the following 12 months, and this association appears to be stronger for men than women. These results support the notion that sickness absence can be reduced by evaluating and managing work-related fatigue.

Keywords

References

  1. Ream E, Richardson A. Fatigue: a concept analysis. Int J Nurs Stud 1996;33(5):519-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-7489(96)00004-1
  2. Ricci JA, Chee E, Lorandeau AL, Berger J. Fatigue in the U.S. workforce: prevalence and implications for lost productive work time. J Occup Environ Med 2007;49(1):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jom.0000249782.60321.2a
  3. Johnston S, Eckhardt AL. Fatigue and acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review of contributing factors. Heart Lung 2018;47(3):192-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2018.03.005
  4. Swain MG. Fatigue in chronic disease. Clin Sci (Lond) 2000;99(1):1-8. https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0990001
  5. Koyama H, Fukuda S, Shoji T, Inaba M, Tsujimoto Y, Tabata T, et al. Fatigue is a predictor for cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2010;5(4):659-66. https://doi.org/10.2215/CJN.08151109
  6. Janssen N, Kant IJ, Swaen GM, Janssen PP, Schroer CA. Fatigue as a predictor of sickness absence: results from the Maastricht cohort study on fatigue at work. Occup Environ Med 2003;60(Suppl 1):i71-6. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.60.suppl_1.i71
  7. Kristal-Boneh E, Froom P, Harari G, Ribak J. Fatigue among Israeli industrial employees. J Occup Environ Med 1996;38(11):1145-50. https://doi.org/10.1097/00043764-199611000-00015
  8. Van Dijk FJ, Swaen GM. Fatigue at work. Occup Environ Med 2003;60(Suppl 1):i1-2. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.60.suppl_1.i1
  9. Rhee KY, Park WY. Sickness absence and job satisfaction. Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science 2014;16(4):203-13. https://doi.org/10.12812/ksms.2014.16.4.203
  10. Marmot M, Feeney A, Shipley M, North F, Syme SL. Sickness absence as a measure of health status and functioning: from the UK Whitehall II study. J Epidemiol Community Health 1995;49(2):124-30. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.49.2.124
  11. Kivimaki M, Head J, Ferrie JE, Shipley MJ, Vahtera J, Marmot MG. Sickness absence as a global measure of health: evidence from mortality in the Whitehall II prospective cohort study. BMJ 2003;327(7411):364.
  12. Roelen CA, Bultmann U, Groothoff J, van Rhenen W, Mageroy N, Moen BE, et al. Physical and mental fatigue as predictors of sickness absence among Norwegian nurses. Res Nurs Health 2013;36(5):453-65. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.21558
  13. Krupp LB, LaRocca NG, Muir-Nash J, Steinberg AD. The fatigue severity scale. Application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Arch Neurol 1989;46(10):1121-3. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1989.00520460115022
  14. Chung KI, Song CH. Clinical usefulness of fatigue severity scale for patients with fatigue, and anxiety or depression. Korean J Psychosom Med 2001;9(2):164-73. 
  15. Lerdal A. Fatigue Severity Scale. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer; 2021, 1-5. 
  16. Allebeck P, Mastekaasa A. Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). Chapter 5. risk factors for sick leave - general studies. Scand J Public Health Suppl 2004;63 Suppl:49-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/14034950410021853
  17. Sagherian K, Geiger-Brown J, Rogers VE, Ludeman E. Fatigue and risk of sickness absence in the working population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Scand J Work Environ Health 2019;45(4):333-45. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3819
  18. Sagherian K, Zhu S, Storr C, Hinds PS, Derickson D, Geiger-Brown J. Bio-mathematical fatigue models predict sickness absence in hospital nurses: an 18 months retrospective cohort study. Appl Ergon 2018;73:42-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2018.05.012
  19. Sahlin K. Metabolic factors in fatigue. Sports Med 1992;13(2):99-107. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199213020-00005
  20. Abbey SE, Garfinkel PE. Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: cause, effect, or covariate. Rev Infect Dis 1991;13 Suppl 1:S73-83. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/13.Supplement_1.S73
  21. Chang SJ, Koh SB, Kang D, Kim SA, Chung JJ, Lee CG, et al. Fatigue as a predictor of medical utilization, occupational accident and sickness absence. Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2005;17(4):318-32. https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2005.17.4.318
  22. Chen MK. The epidemiology of self-perceived fatigue among adults. Prev Med 1986;15(1):74-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-7435(86)90037-X
  23. David A, Pelosi A, McDonald E, Stephens D, Ledger D, Rathbone R, et al. Tired, weak, or in need of rest: fatigue among general practice attenders. BMJ 1990;301(6762):1199-202. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.301.6762.1199
  24. Loge JH, Ekeberg O, Kaasa S. Fatigue in the general Norwegian population: normative data and associations. J Psychosom Res 1998;45(1):53-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(97)00291-2
  25. Chang C, England P. Gender inequality in earnings in industrialized East Asia. Soc Sci Res 2011;40(1):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.06.014
  26. Simpson R. Presenteeism, power and organizational change: long hours as a career barrier and the impact on the working lives of women managers. Br J Manage 1998;9 Suppl 1:37-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.9.s1.5
  27. Franssen PM, Bultmann U, Kant I, van Amelsvoort LG. The association between chronic diseases and fatigue in the working population. J Psychosom Res 2003;54(4):339-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00395-1
  28. Vuong TD, Wei F, Beverly CJ. Absenteeism due to functional limitations caused by seven common chronic diseases in US workers. J Occup Environ Med 2015;57(7):779-84. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000452
  29. Asay GR, Roy K, Lang JE, Payne RL, Howard DH. Peer reviewed: absenteeism and employer costs associated with chronic diseases and health risk factors in the US workforce. Prev Chronic Dis 2016;13:E141.
  30. Corfield EC, Martin NG, Nyholt DR. Co-occurrence and symptomatology of fatigue and depression. Compr Psychiatry 2016;71:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.08.004
  31. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Linzer M, Hahn SR, deGruy FV 3rd, et al. Physical symptoms in primary care. Predictors of psychiatric disorders and functional impairment. Arch Fam Med 1994;3(9):774-9. https://doi.org/10.1001/archfami.3.9.774
  32. Lyon D, McCain N, Elswick RK, Sturgill J, Ameringer S, Jallo N, et al. Biobehavioral examination of fatigue across populations: report from a P30 Center of Excellence. Nurs Outlook 2014;62(5):322-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2014.06.008