Judith A. Ricci

Lost productive work time costs from health conditions in the United States: results from the American Productivity Audit.

Learning ObjectivesRecall the overall magnitude of lsot productive time (LPT) and its dollar cost as found in the American Productivity Audit, and the respective contributions of absenteeism and decreased producitivity at work.Be aware of how LPT varies with a number of demographic and workrelated factors.Compare the factors predisposing to LPT for personal and family-related reasons. The American Productivity Audit (APA) is a telephone survey of a random sample of 28,902 U.S. workers designed to quantify the impact of health conditions on work. Lost productive time (LPT) was measured for personal and family health reasons and expressed in hours and dollars. Health-related LPT cost employers

Back pain exacerbations and lost productive time costs in United States workers.

225.8 billion/year (

Fatigue in the U.S. Workforce: Prevalence and Implications for Lost Productive Work Time

1685/employee per year); 71% is explained by reduced performance at work. Personal health LPT was 30% higher in females and twice as high in smokers (≥1 pack/day) versus nonsmokers. Workers in high-demand, low-control jobs had the lowest average LPT/week versus the highest LPT for those in low-demand, high-control jobs. Family health-related work absence accounted for 6% of all health-related LPT. Health-related LPT costs are substantial but largely invisible to employers. Costs vary significantly by worker characteristics, suggesting that intervention needs vary by specific subgroups.

Abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea in the United States: prevalence and impact.

Study Design. Cross-sectional with follow-up case-control component. Objectives. To measure the prevalence of back pain (BP) and back pain exacerbations, describe BP features and functional impairment, estimate BP-related lost productive time (LPT) and costs, and assess the relation between pain exacerbations and lost productive time. Summary of Background Data. BP is associated with substantial lost work time. However, little is known about the extent to which BP with or without exacerbation explains lost work time. Methods. A national telephone survey of the U.S. workforce identified 320 workers 40 to 65 years of age with BP defined by NHANES I criteria and 91 matched non-BP controls. Participants self-reported pain characteristics, lost productive time (absenteeism and presenteeism) in the previous 2 weeks, activity limitations, and demographics. A population-weighting adjustment was applied to estimates to account for selection bias and ensure that estimates of certain sample demographic subgroups’ totals conformed to the Current Population Survey. Results. The 2-week period prevalence of BP was 15.1%; 42% of workers with BP experienced pain exacerbations. BP prevalence was associated with demographic factors, but BP exacerbations were not. BP was reported by 42.6% of all workers. Workers with exacerbations reported more days with BP than those without exacerbations. Workers with exacerbations were significantly more likely than those without such exacerbations to report activity limitation (88.4% vs. 60.7%; P < 0.0001) and BP-related LPT (22.1% vs. 13.0%; P = 0.0259). BP in workers 40 to 65 years of age costs employers an estimated

Lost productive time associated with excess weight in the U.S. workforce.

7.4 billion/year. Workers with BP exacerbations account for 71.6% of this cost. Conclusions. Workers with BP exacerbations account for a disproportionate share of the cost of BP-related lost productive time.

Coping Strategies and Health Care-Seeking Behavior in a US National Sample of Adults with Symptoms Suggestive of Overactive Bladder

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate fatigue prevalence and associated health-related lost productive time (LPT) in U.S. workers. Methods: Fatigue prevalence, LPT due to fatigue, and LPT for any health-related reason (in hours and dollars) were measured in a national cross-sectional telephone survey of U.S. workers. Results: The 2-week period prevalence of fatigue was 37.9%. Of workers with fatigue, 65.7% reported health-related LPT compared with 26.4% of those without fatigue. Workers with fatigue cost employers

Prevalence and Burden of Chronic Migraine in Adolescents: Results of the Chronic Daily Headache in Adolescents Study (C-dAS)

136.4 billion annually in health-related LPT, an excess of

Lost productive time and costs due to diabetes and diabetic neuropathic pain in the US workforce.

101.0 billion compared with workers without fatigue. Fatigue frequently co-occurs with other conditions and, when present, is associated with a threefold increase, on average, in the proportion of workers with condition-specific LPT. Conclusions: Fatigue is prevalent in the U.S. workforce. When occurring with other health conditions, it is associated with significantly more condition-specific LPT.

Health-related Lost Productive Time (LPT): Recall interval and bias in LPT estimates

The prevalence and impact of abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea in the adult US population are largely unknown. We conducted a national, cross-sectional, telephone survey of US households to provide estimates of the frequency, duration, severity, and impact of specific digestive symptoms during the previous month. A total of 2510 subjects completed interviews (70.7% response rate). Among the respondents, 1017 (40.5%) reported one or more digestive symptoms within the month before the interview, including abdominal pain or discomfort 21.8%, bloating or distension 15.9%, and diarrhea or loose stools 26.9%. Women were more likely than men to report abdominal pain or discomfort (24.4% vs 17.5%) and bloating or distension (19.2% vs 10.5%), but not diarrhea or loose stools (27.1% vs 26.7%). Symptoms were less common among those ≥60 years of age. More than 65% of respondents rated symptoms as moderate or severe in intensity, and the majority reported limitations in daily activities. We conclude that digestive symptoms are more common than previously recognized and have a significant impact.

Validation of the work and health interview.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine health-related lost productive time (LPT) in overweight and obese workers. Methods: Cross-sectional study using data from a national telephone survey of the U.S. workforce. Body mass index defined normal-weight, overweight, and obese workers. LPT in hours and dollars was compared among the three groups. Results: Obese workers (42.3%) were significantly (P < 0.0001) more likely to report LPT in the previous 2 weeks than normal-weight (36.4%) or overweight workers (34.7%). Health status mediated the relation between obesity and LPT. Obese workers cost an estimated