Association between self-reported binge drinking and absenteeism in the Baltic countries

Abstract

Objective: Substantial loss of productivity due to absenteeism is associated with alcohol use. This study examined the associations between absenteeism in the workplace and in schools and binge drinking across various beverage types in the Baltic countries.

Methods: We utilised a dataset of 3,778 individuals compiled from 2015 to 2016 and performed multiple negative binomial regression analysis with multiple imputations to deal with missing data. Self-reported measures were used for both absenteeism and binge drinking.

Results: We found evidence to support the claim that absenteeism, in terms of self-reported absence days, is positively associated with self-reported binge drinking, specifically with beer bingeing. On average, beer bingers reported 49% (p < .05) more absences than people who drink alcohol but do not binge on beer. For wine and spirits variables, the estimates indicated positive but statistically insignificant associations. No group differences were identified across gender and education.

Conclusions: A considerable proportion of days absent from work and from school can be associated with beer bingeing. Therefore, it should be acknowledged that beverage-specific alcohol policies that are more lenient toward beer than other types of alcohol can inadvertently increase absenteeism and decrease workplace productivity.

Keywords: absenteeism; binge drinking; multiple imputation; regression analysis; type of alcoholic beverage.