PharmAccess Foundation, Pietersbergweg 17, 1105, BM Amsterdam, Zuidoost, the Netherlands.
BMC Public Health. 2012 Jan 18;12:44. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-44.
As countries in sub-Saharan Africa develop their economies, it is important to understand the health of employees and its impact on productivity and absenteeism. While previous studies have assessed the impact of single conditions on absenteeism, the current study evaluates multiple health factors associated with absenteeism in a large worker population across several sectors in Namibia.
From March 2009 to June 2010, PharmAccess Namibia conducted a series of cross-sectional surveys of 7,666 employees in 7 sectors of industry in Namibia. These included a self-reported health questionnaire and biomedical screenings for certain infectious diseases and non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors. Data were collected on demographics, absenteeism over a 90-day period, smoking behavior, alcohol use, hemoglobin, blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), HIV status, and presence of hepatitis B antigens and syphilis antibodies. The associations of these factors to absenteeism were ascertained using negative binomial regression.
Controlling for demographic and job-related factors, high blood glucose and diabetes had the largest effect on absenteeism (IRR: 3.67, 95%CI: 2.06-6.55). This was followed by anemia (IRR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.17-2.18) and being HIV positive (IRR: 1.47; 95%CI: 1.12-1.95). In addition, working in the fishing or services sectors was associated with an increased incidence of sick days (IRR: 1.53, 95%CI: 1.23-1.90; and IRR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.32-2.20 respectively). The highest prevalence of diabetes was in the services sector (3.6%, 95%CI:-2.5-4.7). The highest prevalence of HIV was found in the fishing sector (14.3%, 95%CI: 10.1-18.5).
Both NCD risk factors and infectious diseases are associated with increased rates of short-term absenteeism of formal sector employees in Namibia. Programs to manage these conditions could help employers avoid costs associated with absenteeism. These programs could include basic health care insurance including regular wellness screenings.
随着撒哈拉以南非洲国家经济的发展，了解员工的健康状况及其对生产力和旷工的影响非常重要。虽然之前的研究已经评估了单一疾病对旷工的影响，但目前这项研究评估了在纳米比亚多个部门的大量工人中，与旷工相关的多种健康因素。
2009 年 3 月至 2010 年 6 月，PharmAccess Namibia 对纳米比亚 7 个行业的 7666 名员工进行了一系列横断面调查。这些调查包括自我报告的健康问卷和某些传染病和非传染性疾病（NCD）风险因素的生物医学筛查。收集了人口统计学数据、90 天内的旷工情况、吸烟行为、饮酒情况、血红蛋白、血压、血糖、胆固醇、腰围、体重指数（BMI）、艾滋病毒状况以及乙型肝炎抗原和梅毒抗体的存在情况。使用负二项回归确定这些因素与旷工的关联。
在控制人口统计学和与工作相关的因素后，高血糖和糖尿病对旷工的影响最大（IRR：3.67，95%CI：2.06-6.55）。其次是贫血（IRR：1.59，95%CI：1.17-2.18）和艾滋病毒阳性（IRR：1.47；95%CI：1.12-1.95）。此外，在渔业或服务业工作与病假发病率增加有关（IRR：1.53，95%CI：1.23-1.90；和 IRR：1.70，95%CI：1.32-2.20）。糖尿病的最高患病率出现在服务业（3.6%，95%CI：-2.5-4.7）。渔业部门的艾滋病毒感染率最高（14.3%，95%CI：10.1-18.5）。
在纳米比亚，非传染性疾病风险因素和传染病都与正规部门员工短期旷工率的增加有关。管理这些疾病的方案可以帮助雇主避免与旷工相关的成本。这些方案可以包括基本医疗保险，包括定期健康检查。
