Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2007

Open Access 01-12-2007 | Research article

Social inequalities in injury occurrence and in disability retirement attributable to injuries: a 5 year follow-up study of a 2.1 million gainfully employed people

Authors: Harald Hannerz, Kim L Mikkelsen, Martin L Nielsen, Finn Tüchsen, Søren Spangenberg

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2007

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Inequalities in injury related disability retirement may be due to differences in injury risk and or differences in retirement given injury. The aim of the present study was to measure social inequalities in injury occurrence and injury related disability retirement.

Methods

All people in the Danish labour force aged 20–59 years 1 January 1997 were followed for injury related hospital contacts during 1997 and all people in the Danish labour force aged 21–54 years 1 January 1998 were followed for injury related hospital contacts during 1997 and for disability retirements during 1998–2002. As inequality indices we used excess fractions (EF) i.e. the proportions of the cases that would not have occurred if the risks in each social group had been as low as they were in the occupational group with the highest skill requirements.

Results

With regard to the risk that an injury will occur, the EF was 36% among men and 10% among women. With regard to the risk that an injury will lead to disability retirement, the EF was 43% among men and 47% among women. The combined effect of the two types of inequalities rendered an EF for injury related disability retirement of 64% among men and 53% among women. The correlation between the case disability rate ratios among men and those among women was low (r = -0.110, P = 0.795).

Conclusion

The social inequality in injury related disability retirement lies only to some degree in the differences in the injury risk. More important are differences in the consequences of an injury. This was especially pronounced among the women.
Literature
1.
Guberan E, Usel M: Permanent work incapacity, mortality and survival without work incapacity among occupations and social classes: a cohort study of ageing men in Geneva. Int J Epidemiol. 1998, 27: 1026-1032.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Krokstad S, Johnsen R, Westin S: Social determinants of disability pension: a 10-year follow-up of 62 000 people in a Norwegian county population. Int J Epidemiol. 2002, 31: 1183-1191.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Mansson NO, Merlo J: The relation between self-rated health, socioeconomic status, body mass index and disability pension among middle-aged men. Eur J Epidemiol. 2001, 17: 65-69.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Mansson NO, Rastam L, Eriksson KF, Israelsson B: Socioeconomic inequalities and disability pension in middle-aged men. Int J Epidemiol. 1998, 27: 1019-1025.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Upmark M, Lundberg I, Sadigh J, Bigert C: Conditions during childhood and adolescence as explanations of social class differences in disability pension among young men. Scand J Public Health. 2001, 29: 96-103.CrossRefPubMed
6.
7.
8.
Krause N, Dasinger LK, Deegan LJ, Brand RJ, Rudolph L: Psychosocial job factors and return to work after compensated low back injury: a disability phase-specific analysis. Am J Ind Med. 2001, 40: 374-392.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Krause N, Dasinger LK, Neuhauser F: Modified work and return to work: a review of the literature. J Occup Rehab. 1998, 8: 113-139.CrossRef
10.
Dasinger LK, Krause N, Deegan LJ, Brand RJ, Rudolph L: Duration of work disability after low back injury: a comparison of administrative and self-reported outcomes. Am J Ind Med. 1999, 35: 619-631.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Krause N, Lund T: Returning to work after occupational injury. The psychology of workplace safety. Edited by: Barlow L and Frone MR. 2004, Washington D.C., American Psychological Association, 265-295.CrossRef
12.
Dasinger LK, Krause N, Deegan LJ, Brand RJ, Rudolph L: Physical workplace factors and return to work after compensated low back injury: a disability phase-specific analysis. J Occup Environ Med. 2000, 42: 323-333.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Krause N, Ragland DR: Occupational disability due to low back pain: a new interdisciplinary classification based on a phase model of disability. Spine. 1994, 19: 1011-1020.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Krause N, Lynch J, Kaplan GA, Cohen RD, Goldberg DE, Salonen JT: Predictors of disability retirement. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1998, 23: 403-413.CrossRef
15.
Jensen PH: Aging and work: from 'early' exit to 'late' exit in Denmark. Ageing and the transition to retirement. A comparative analysis of European welfare states. Edited by: Maltby T, de Vroom B and Øverby E. 2004, Hampshire, UK and Burlington, VT., Ashgate Publishing Compagny, 41-46.
16.
Gallo WT, Bradley EH, Siegel M, Kasl SV: Health effects of involuntary job loss among older workers: findings from the health and retirement survey. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2000, 55: S131-S140.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Wallman T, Wedel H, Johansson S, Rosengren A, Eriksson H, Welin L, Svardsudd K: The prognosis for individuals on disability retirement. An 18-year mortality follow-up study of 6887 men and women sampled from the general population. BMC Public Health. 2006, 6: 103-CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
18.
Gallo WT, Bradley EH, Falba TA, Dubin JA, Cramer LD, Bogardus ST, Kasl SV: Involuntary job loss as a risk factor for subsequent myocardial infarction and stroke: findings from the Health and Retirement Survey. Am J Ind Med. 2004, 45: 408-416.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
Dew MA, Bromet EJ, Penkower L: Mental health effects of job loss in women. Psychol Med. 1992, 22: 751-764.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Keefe V, Reid P, Ormsby C, Robson B, Purdie G, Baxter J: Serious health events following involuntary job loss in New Zealand meat processing workers. Int J Epidemiol. 2002, 31: 1155-1161.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Soll-Johanning H, Hannerz H, Tüchsen F: Referral bias in hospital register studies of geographical and industrial differences in health. Dan Med Bull. 2004, 51: 207-210.PubMed
22.
Denmark S: DISCO-88, Statistics Denmark's Official Standard Classification of Occupation. Edited by: Denmark S. 1996, Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark, First Edition
23.
Ku HH: Notes on the use of the propagation of error formulas. J Res Natl Bureau Standards. 1966, 263-273.
24.
Bickel PJ, Doksum KA: Mathematical statistics: basic ideas and selected topics. 1977, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice Hall
25.
Tüchsen F, Andersen O, Olsen J: Referral bias among health workers in studies using hospitalization as a proxy measure of the underlying incidence rate. J Clin Epidemiol. 1996, 49: 791-794.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Spangenberg S, Mikkelsen KL, Kines P, Dyreborg J: The efficiency in reducing lost-time injuries of a nurse based and the first aid based on-site medical facility: the construction of the Øresund Link between Sweden and Denmark. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2005, 30: 104-109.
27.
Baarts C, Mikkelsen KL, Hannerz H, Tüchsen F: Use of a national hospitalization register to identify industrial sectors carrying high risk of severe accidents. A three-year cohort study of more than 900,000 Danish men. Am J Ind Med. 2000, 38: 619-627.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Clausen T, Pedersen JG, Olsen BM, Bengtsson S: Handicap and employement - an obstacle race. [Handicap og beskæftigelse - et forhindringsløb]. In Danish. 2004, Copenhagen, National Institute of Social Research
29.
Kristensen TS: Sickness absence and work strain among Danish slaughterhouse workers: an analysis of absence from work regarded as coping behaviour. Soc Sci Med. 1991, 32: 15-27.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Asp J, Petersen JP: Specialarbejdernes sygdomsmønster - sygefravær og ventetider på undersøgelse/ behandlinger i den offentlige sygehussektor i 1999 fordelt på arbejdsløshedskasser. Arbejdsnotat. 2002, Copenhagen, Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd
31.
Loisel P, Abenhaim L, Durand P, Esdaile JM, Suissa S, Gosselin L, Simard R, Turcotte J, Lemaire J: A population-based, randomized clinical trial on back pain management. Spine. 1997, 22: 2911-2918.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Anema JR, Cuelenaere B, Van der Beek AJ, Knol DL, de Vet HC, van Mechelen W: The effectiveness of ergonomic interventions on return-to-work after low back pain; a prospective two year cohort study in six countries on low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months. Occup Environ Med. 2004, 61: 289-294.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Wheeler PM, Kearney JR, Harrison CA: The U.S. study of work incapacity and reintegration. Soc Secur Bull. 2001, 64: 32-44.PubMed
Metadata
Title
Social inequalities in injury occurrence and in disability retirement attributable to injuries: a 5 year follow-up study of a 2.1 million gainfully employed people
Authors
Harald Hannerz
Kim L Mikkelsen
Martin L Nielsen
Finn Tüchsen
Søren Spangenberg
Publication date
01-12-2007
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2007
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-215

Other articles of this Issue 1/2007

BMC Public Health 1/2007 Go to the issue

Research article

Factors associated with a measles outbreak in children admitted at Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos

Research article

Health inequities: lower socio-economic conditions and higher incidences of intestinal parasites

Research article

Risk factors for poor tuberculosis treatment outcome in Finland: a cohort study

Research article

Sickness absence poses a threat to the Swedish Welfare State: a cross-sectional study of sickness absence and self-reported illness

Study protocol

The UK Burden of Injury Study – a protocol. [National Research Register number: M0044160889]

Research article

Advantages and disadvantages of an objective selection process for early intervention in employees at risk for sickness absence