Modern health worries, subjective health complaints, health care utilization, and sick leave in the Norwegian working population

Abstract

Background: Modern health worries (concerns about aspects of modern life affecting health) heve been associated with subjective health complaints and health care utilization.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between modern health worries (MHW) and subjective health complaints (SHC), health care utilization, and sick leave related to such complaints in the Norwegian working population.

Methods: A sample of the Norwegian working population (N = 569) answered a questionnaire which included the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory and a Norwegian version of the Modern Health Worries Scale.

Results: Ninety-one percent of the participants reported at least one complaint in the past 30 days, and 96 % of the participants reported concerns for at least one of the items in the MHW scale. Women reported significantly more and more severe complaints compared to men and significantly more concern about aspects of modern life affecting health. Participants who reported a high level of MHW showed nearly twice the risk of reporting a high level of SHC (odds ratio (OR) = 1.83; 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.30-2.71; p = 0.001), and they showed twice the risk for self-certified sick leave related to SHC (OR = 2.04; 95 % CI = 1.01-3.92; p = 0.048). High levels of MHW showed no significant association with health care utilization or doctor-certified sick leave.

Conclusions: Subjective health complaints and concerns about aspects of modern life affecting health are very common, even among healthy workers. Women have more complaints and more concerns compared to men. Within the health care system, it may be advantageous to pay close attention to the association between high levels of MHW and high levels of SHC.