Musculoskeletal Health Climate Is a Prognostic Determinant of Sickness Absence Among Female Eldercare Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study

The present study investigated the association between musculoskeletal health climate, that is, the shared perceptions among workers concerning musculoskeletal health, and sickness absence. METHODS: Questionnaire data on two domains of musculoskeletal health climate, perceived management priority (PMP) and pain acceptance at work (PAW), were collected at baseline. Data on sickness absence were extracted at 1-year follow-up. Data were analyzed using negative binomial multivariable regression. RESULTS: The final study population comprised 390 female eldercare workers. Compared with participants with low PMP scores, participants with high PMP scores had lower risk of sickness absence (incidence rate ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.4–0.9). Participants with high PAW scores had higher risk of sickness absence than participants with low PAW scores (incidence rate ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.9–2.2). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed an association between the musculoskeletal health climate and sickness absence.