Re: "Age at retirement and mortality in a general population sample: the Greek epic study"

Sickness absence in the private sector of Greece: comparing shipyard industry and national insurance data

Approximately 3% of employees are absent from work due to illness daily in Europe, while in some countries sickness absence exceeds 20 days per year. Based on a limited body of reliable studies, Greek employees in the private sector seem to be absent far less frequently (<5 days/year) compared to most of the industrialized world. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece, using shipyard and national insurance data. Detailed data on absenteeism of employees in a large shipyard company during the period 1999–2006 were utilized. National data on compensated days due to sickness absence concerning all employees (around 2 million) insured by the Social Insurance Institute (IKA, the largest insurance scheme in Greece) were retrieved from the Institute’s annual statistical reports for the period 1987–2006. Sick-leave days per employee and sick-leave rate (%) were calculated, among other indicators. In the shipyard cohort, the employment time loss due to sick leave was 1%. The mean number of sick-leave days per employee in shipyards ranged between 4.6 and 8.7 and sick-leave rate (sickness absenteeism rate) varied among 2% and 3.7%. The corresponding indicators for IKA were estimated between 5 and 6.3 sick-leave days per insured employee (median 5.8), and 2.14–2.72% (median 2.49%), respectively. Short sick-leave spells (<4 days) may account at least for the 25% of the total number of sick-leave days, currently not recorded in national statistics. The level of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece was found to be higher than the suggested by previous reports and international comparative studies, but still remains one of the lowest in the industrialized world. In the 20-years national data, the results also showed a 7-year wave in sickness absence indexes (a decrease during the period 1991–1997 and an increase in 1998–2004) combined with a small yet significant decline as a general trend. These observations deserve detailed monitoring and could only partly be attributed to the compensation and unemployment rates in Greece so other possible reasons should be explored.

Comparative mortality ratios of cancer among men in Greece across broad occupational groups

AIM

The purpose of this study was to compare site-specific cancer death rates in male workforce across major occupational groups in Greece.

METHODS

Data on cancer mortality in men aged 25-69 years during the period 2000-2005 were obtained from National Statistical Service of Greece. Age- and site (ICD-10)-specific cancer death rates and the ratio of standardized cancer death rates (i.e. the comparative mortality ratio and 95% confidence interval) across seven major occupational groups (ISCO-88) were calculated.

RESULTS

The proportion of total deaths due to cancer was ranged between 6.6, 24.3, 37.4, and 39.4% for the age groups of 15-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 years, respectively. Respiratory and gastrointestinal malignancies constituted 70% of the total cancer mortality in our population. Groups of elementary occupations, skilled agricultural workers, and plant workers showed very high mortality ratios of respiratory cancer while low ratios were found for the groups of professionals, legislators, senior officials, and managers and paradoxically for craft and related workers. Compared to the other groups, skilled agricultural and elementary groups showed higher rates of gastrointestinal and other or no determined malignancies in the age groups of 40-49 and 50-59 years old. Plant workers and machine operators/assemblers exhibited high mortality rates for most cancer sites especially in the elders group (60-69 years) and a mortality ratio of genitourinary cancer that differed significantly compared to any other group.

CONCLUSIONS

Up to 3.5-fold variations were found in site-specific cancer mortality ratios among men in Greece across broad occupational groups. The extent of the variation attributed to specific socioeconomic and/or occupational factors could not be estimated in the current study but the observed differences might stimulate thinking and preventive actions as well as point to potential hypotheses to pursue using research methods in which job and life related factors should be directly measured and controlled.