Body mass index and risk of sick leave: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Summary Body mass index (BMI) is related to different health dimensions and can be a risk factor for diseases. Our objective was to systematically review and meta‐analysis the association BMI and the risk of sick leave. Four databases were searched for articles until late December 2018 and the results of the studies were extracted and combined using random effects methods. Several sub‐group analyses were conducted as well as bias of publication were measured. A total of 23 longitudinal studies entered into meta‐analysis. BMI ≥ 25 was a risk factor for sick leave; the risk ratio (RR) is equal to 1.20 with confidence interval (CI): 1.14 to 1.28. In the overweight, this result was achieved: RR = 1.09 and CI = 1.04 to 1.15 (P = 0.001) and in the obesity, RR = 1.30 and CI = 1.19 to 1.42 (P < 0.001). In both men and women, overweight and obesity were both a risk factor for sick leave. A high BMI is a risk factor that threatens health in different dimensions and therefore, overweight/obesity prevention and treatment should be given increasing attention. This will reduce the burden of illness and its consequences.

Influence of lifestyle risk factors on work ability and sick leave in a general working population in Norway: a 5-year longitudinal study

“…7 12 13 Amiri have shown that workers who are overweight or obese have a 1.2 to 1.3 times higher risk of sick leave than workers with a healthy body weight. 7 Troelstra et al have reported that smoking is associated with a 31% increase in risk of sick leave. 13 Obesity and smoking are risk factors with respect to several diseases, including mental illness and cardiovascular disease, which are themselves risk factors for sick leave.…”

Body weight and premature retirement: population-based evidence from Finland

“…This notion has received support from studies that found that individuals who suffer from obesity are more likely to take sick leave. 30–32 The main reasons for receiving the disability pension in Finland are mental disorders (52%) and musculoskeletal diseases (19%). 19 As obesity has been identified as a major risk factor for mental disorders [e.g.…”

Education differences in sickness absence and the role of health behaviors: a prospective twin study

“…An important mechanism, partly explaining education differences in health, is differences in health behaviors [ 9 , 12 ]. Knowledge about the influence of health behaviors on sickness absence is limited [ 13 – 19 ], but lifestyle or health behaviors have been documented as one explanation for socioeconomic differences in sickness absence [ 6 , 10 , 11 , 20 , 21 ]. The etiological processes underlying the association between education, health behaviors and sickness absence is poorly understood, but results from some studies indicate that these associations may be confounded by unobserved familial factors, i.e.…”

“…The importance of lifestyle or health behaviors for sickness absence has been studied to a limited degree only. Much of the evidence focuses on single health behaviors, is based on relatively small sample sizes and findings have been mixed [ 13 – 18 ]. However, a large observational study of cohorts from France, Finland, and the UK found that lifestyle-related factors including BMI, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption were all associated with sickness absence [ 19 ].…”