Sick leave due to dorsopathies among bus drivers from a company in São Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Dorsopathies are common among bus drivers and may result in absenteeism due to work disability. Dorsopathies have a multifactorial etiology, including those related to occupational risk factors. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the factors associated with sick leave due to dorsopathies among bus drivers from a public transport company. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, analytical study with information from a database of 2,229 professional bus drivers from a company in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The study period was from 2016 to 2017. Independent variables were sex, age group, length of service, and work shift; the outcome was the history of sick leave due to dorsopathies in the study period. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with the outcome. RESULTS: Mean sample age was 47.33 years, and mean length of service was 8.65 years. Most participants were men (98.06%) and worked during the day (85.9%). There was a 17% prevalence of sick leave in the study period, with an average of 1.86 days per medical certificate. Age group was the only variable with a statistically significant distribution, with a reduced probability of sick leave due to dorsopathies in those aged ≥ 40 years. CONCLUSIONS: Younger workers were more likely to be on sick leave due to dorsopathies than older workers. Actions aimed at permanent health promotion and disease prevention are important to improve the quality of life and well-being of these workers.