Smokers Miss More Work

Smokers Miss More Work
Study Looks At Time Off For Sickness

POSTED: 8:06 am MDT March 29, 2007

Smokers take an average of almost 11 days more of sick leave every year than their non-smoking colleagues, according to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control.

A research team analysed data on sickness absence among more than 14,000 workers in Sweden between 1988 and 1991.

The average number of days taken off was 25, but smokers took almost 11 extra sick days -- about 43 percent of the time taken. Non-smokers took the fewest days off sick; smokers took the most.

There was little difference in the number of additional days taken as sick leave between male and female workers, researchers said.

Adjusting for the fact that smokers tend to choose riskier jobs and have poorer underlying health, brought the difference in the number of days taken as sick leave to just below eight.

Factors other than ill health directly caused by smoking may account for much of the time taken off in sick leave, suggest the authors.

The authors accept that sick leave rates in Sweden are among some of the highest in Europe, but said that their findings nevertheless point to smoking as having a significant impact on productivity.