- Doesn’t allow for causal relationships
- Recall bias 
- Underreporting

University of Notre Dame

According to the Milken institute, deriving information from 2003 NCS-R data reporting that Americans took roughly 3.6 billion days off in within a two year span due to health related reasons, absenteeism led to a $127 billion loss. This paper focusses on how functional limitations due to chronic disabilities relates to loss of workdays and money. Many people with chronic illness do not have impediments to their daily activities; such limitations vary on the type and severity of disability, along with other personal factors.

Absenteeism due to Chronic Diseases

Vuong, T. D., Wei, F., &amp; Beverly, C. J. (2015). Absenteeism due to functional limitations caused by seven common chronic diseases in US workers. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 57(7), 779–784. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000452 

Absenteeism Due to Functional Limitations Caused by Seven Common Chronic Diseases in US Workers

- Arthritis/rheumatism
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Lung disease
- Stroke

Vuong Paper: Seven Chronic Diseases Studied for Functional Limitations and Impacts on Economic Input

Results show a significant correlation between functional limitation due to chronic disease and lost workdays. For every 3 days lost by someone without functional limitations, 7 days are lost for those with such. 

Main Result of Absenteeism Due to Functional Limitations of Chronic Diseases (Vuong Paper)

The authors of the paper suggest to lower absenteeism (and thus loss of workdays and economic income) by improving worker quality of life. One way to do this is through intervention/prevention services provided by empowerment organizations like Stanford CDSMP, which is proven to reduce hospitalization.

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