IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v14y2017i10p1247-d115569.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Paid Sick Leave and Risks of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality among Adult Workers in the USA

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Kim

    (Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Robinson Hall, Suite 312C, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, EHESP School of Public Health, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris Descartes University, 75006 Paris, France)

Abstract

Background: The USA is one of only a few advanced economies globally that does not guarantee its workers paid sick leave. While there are plausible reasons why paid sick leave may be linked to mortality, little is known empirically about this association. Methods: In a pooled USA nationally-representative longitudinal sample of 57,323 working adults aged 18–85 years from the National Health Interview Surveys 2000–2002, paid sick leave was examined as a predictor of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the impact of paid sick leave on mortality. Results: Having paid sick leave through one’s job was associated with 10% (hazards ratio, HR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.81–0.996; p = 0.04), 14% (HR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.74–0.99; p = 0.04), and 22% (HR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.65–0.94; p = 0.01) significantly lower hazards of all-cause mortality after mean follow-up times of 11.1, 6.5, and 4.5 years, respectively. This study further identified associations of paid sick leave with 24% (HR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.59–0.98; p = 0.03), and 35% (HR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.44–0.95; p = 0.03) lower hazards of dying from heart diseases and unintentional injuries, respectively. Conclusions: To the author’s knowledge, this study provides the first empirical evidence on the linkages between paid sick leave and mortality and supports protective effects, particularly against heart diseases and unintentional injuries. The most salient association corresponded to a lag period of just less than five years. Social policies that mandate paid sick leave may help to reduce health inequities and alleviate the population burden of mortality among working adults in the USA.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Kim, 2017. "Paid Sick Leave and Risks of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality among Adult Workers in the USA," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-10, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:10:p:1247-:d:115569
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/10/1247/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/10/1247/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Kim & Beth Ann Griffin & Mohammed Kabeto & José Escarce & Kenneth M Langa & Regina A Shih, 2016. "Lagged Associations of Metropolitan Statistical Area- and State-Level Income Inequality with Cognitive Function: The Health and Retirement Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-14, June.
    2. Simen Markussen, 2012. "The individual cost of sick leave," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 25(4), pages 1287-1306, October.
    3. Colla, C.H. & Dow, W.H. & Dube, A. & Lovell, V., 2014. "Early effects of the San Francisco paid sick leave policy," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(12), pages 2453-2460.
    4. Asfaw, A. & Pana-Cryan, R. & Rosa, R., 2012. "Paid sick leave and nonfatal occupational injuries," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(9), pages 59-64.
    5. Jody Heymann & Hye Jin Rho & John Schmitt & Alison Earle, 2009. "Contagion Nation: A Comparison of Paid Sick Day Policies in 22 Countries," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2009-19, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    6. Kivimäki, M. & Head, J. & Ferrie, J.E. & Hemingway, H. & Shipley, M.J. & Vahtera, J. & Marmot, M.G., 2005. "Working while III as a risk factor for serious coronary events: The whitehall II study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(1), pages 98-102.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rebecca J. Guerin & John P. Barile & Matthew R. Groenewold & Hannah L. Free & Andrea H. Okun, 2023. "COVID-19 Workplace Mitigation Strategies and Employee Leave Policies Implemented during the Height of the Pandemic, United States, Fall 2020 and 2021," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stefan Pichler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2020. "Labor Market Effects of U.S. Sick Pay Mandates," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(2), pages 611-659.
    2. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2015. "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: A Method to Test for Contagious Presenteeism and Shirking Behavior," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112940, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    3. Stefan Pichler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2015. "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Testing for Contagious Presenteeism and Shirking Behavior," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1509, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    4. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2019. "Reprint of: The pros and cons of sick pay schemes: Testing for contagious presenteeism and noncontagious absenteeism behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 86-104.
    5. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2024. "Sick leave and medical leave in the United States: A categorization and recent trends," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-011, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2017. "The pros and cons of sick pay schemes: Testing for contagious presenteeism and noncontagious absenteeism behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 14-33.
    7. Mario Lackner & Hendrik Sonnabend, 2023. "Presenteeism when employers are under pressure: evidence from a high‐stakes environment," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(358), pages 477-507, April.
    8. Michelle M. Miller, 2022. "The impact of paid sick leave laws on consumer and business bankruptcies," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 844-896, December.
    9. Schön, Matthias, 2015. "Unemployment, Sick Leave and Health," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113013, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    10. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Stefan Pichler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2020. "Mandated Sick Pay: Coverage, Utilization, and Crowding-In," NBER Working Papers 26832, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Thomas Barnay, 2016. "Health, work and working conditions: a review of the European economic literature," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 17(6), pages 693-709, July.
    12. Laszlo Goerke, 2017. "Sick pay reforms and health status in a unionised labour market," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 64(2), pages 115-142, May.
    13. Andrea M. Mühlenweg & Franz G. Westermaier & Brant Morefield, 2016. "Parental health and child behavior: evidence from parental health shocks," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 577-598, September.
    14. Petri Böckerman & Erkki Laukkanen, 2008. "What makes you work while you are sick? Evidence from a survey of union member," Working Papers 244, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    15. Maclean, J. Catherine & Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2020. "Mandated Sick Pay: Coverage, Utilization, and Welfare Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 13132, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Erik Biørn & Simen Gaure & Simen Markussen & Knut Røed, 2013. "The rise in absenteeism: disentangling the impacts of cohort, age and time," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(4), pages 1585-1608, October.
    17. Pons Rotger, Gabriel & Rosholm, Michael, 2020. "The Role of Beliefs in Long Sickness Absence: Experimental Evidence from a Psychological Intervention," IZA Discussion Papers 13582, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Rehwald, Kai & Rosholm, Michael & Rouland, Bénédicte, 2018. "Labour market effects of activating sick-listed workers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 15-32.
    19. Nicolas R. Ziebarth & Martin Karlsson, 2014. "The Effects Of Expanding The Generosity Of The Statutory Sickness Insurance System," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 208-230, March.
    20. Schroyen, Fred & Aarbu, Karl Ove, 2017. "Attitudes towards large income risk in welfare states: an international comparison," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 20/2017, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:10:p:1247-:d:115569. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.