Skip to main content

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of study groups (intervention compared to control)

From: Effects of a randomized controlled intervention trial on return to work and health care utilization after long-term sickness absence

[n for whom data available]

Intervention group (n = 301)

Control group (n = 142)

p values

Demographic variables

Women, n (%) [273]

179 (59)

94 (66)

0.17 A

Age, average years (SD) [443]

44.2 (11.2)

44.6 (10.2)

0.74 B

Education level, n (%) [305]

  

0.35

No education or under education

36 (14)

17 (14)

 

Skilled worker

73 (29)

41 (34)

 

Basic or middle level

159 (55)

36 (47)

 

High level (>4 years)

5 (2)

5 (4)

 

Health factors

Self-rated health, good-excellent n (%) [373]

143 (56)

59 (50)

0.33 A

SCL-SOM sum score > =16, n (%) [414]

125 (45)

70 (52)

0.15 C

SCL-SOM sum score, median (25 %, 75 %) [414]

14 (0, 36)

16 (2, 40)

0.02 C

Whitely sum score > =7, n (%) [415]

132 (47)

70 (52)

0.32 C

Whitely sum score, median (25 %, 75 %) [415]

7 (0, 25)

8 (0, 4)

0.24 C

Self-reported reason of sickness absence, n (%) [443]

  

0.53 A

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD)

170 (56)

74 (52)

 

Common mental disorder (CMD)

56 (19)

38 (27)

 

Stress

38 (13)

14 (10)

 

Functional somatic syndrome/unknown

7 (2)

3 (2)

 

Heart disorder, lung disorder, cancer

8 (3)

4 (3)

 

Other

22 (7)

9 (6)

 

Employment status, n (%) [311]

  

0.36 D

Employed at inclusion

175 (81)

84 (88)

 

Laid off

36 (17)

10 (10)

 

Left job

4 (2)

2 (2)

 

Work ability n (%) [375]

  

0.23 A

Poor (0-1)

86 (33)

49 (42)

 

Moderate (2-4)

109 (42)

40 (34)

 

Excellent (>4-10)

62 (24)

29 (25)

 

Perceived workability in 2 years, yes [268]

180 (73)

88 (74)

0.83 A

Work-related factors, n (%)

Support by supervisor, yes [232]

159 (94)

73 (94)

1.00 D

Support by co-workers, yes [241]

166 (98)

75 (95)

0.27 D

Afraid of losing job, yes [95]

66 (40)

29 (37)

0.65 A

Previous year before inclusion, median (25 %,50 %) [443]

Employment or unemployment, weeks

43 (0, 50)

41 (0, 48)

0.20 C

Duration of sickness absence, weeks

7 (1, 29)

7 (2, 27)

0.15 C

Health care utilization

Visits in general practice

11 (1, 37)

14 (1, 33)

0.007 C

Visits in physiotherapist clinics

0 (0, 45)

0 (0, 17)

0.99 C

Visits in out-patient clinics

3 (0, 19)

3 (0, 20)

0.69 C

Visits in psychiatric out-patient clinics

0 (0, 17)

0 (0, 11)

0.08 C

Admissions in hospitals

0 (0, 3)

0 (0, 2)

0.49 C

Admissions in psychiatric hospitals

0 (0, 0)

0 (0, 0)

0.58 C

  1. A Chi2 test, B t-test, C Wilcoxon rank sum test, D Fischer's exact test
Back to article page

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

Contact us