Work conditions for workers with good long-term health

Gunnar Aronsson; Victoria Blom

doi:10.1108/17538351011055041

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International Journal of Workplace Health Management

ISSN: 1753-8351

Online from: 2008

Subject Area: Health Care Management/Healthcare

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Work conditions for workers with good long-term health

Document Information:
Title:	Work conditions for workers with good long-term health
Author(s):	Gunnar Aronsson, (Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden), Victoria Blom, (Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden)
Citation:	Gunnar Aronsson, Victoria Blom, (2010) "Work conditions for workers with good long-term health", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 3 Iss: 2, pp.160 - 172
Keywords:	Gender, Lifestyles, Personal health, Sick leave, Sweden, Workplace
Article type:	Research paper
DOI:	10.1108/17538351011055041 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Acknowledgements:	The project was supported by a grant from AFA, an insurance company owned by Sweden's labor market parties (Dnr 2000-0173). The authors would like to thank biostatistician Tomas Lindh for his statistical advice and support.Equal contributions were made by the authors to the article.
Abstract:	Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate which work- and private life factors are associated with long-term health, operationalized as low sickness absence and low sickness presence. Design/methodology/approach – A representative sample of 2,297 individuals responded to a questionnaire on two occasions at an interval of one year. In total, 28 percent were classified as having good long-term health. Findings – Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that some quality-related work environment factors were rather strongly associated with long-term health. For some variables women showed a clear dose-response pattern on the three-level scale alternatives in relation to health, while men had a more asymmetric response pattern. The results are discussed in relation to the symmetry in the work environment factors, i.e. if there are different factors that explain health and illness. Practical implications – Issues concerning health and health-enhancing factors are of considerable interest to practitioners concerned with management issues, organizational structure, and rehabilitation. Originality/value – The paper shows the importance of including a positive health variable within the health research paradigm to supplement the dominance of variables focusing on illness and disease.