Associations Between Activities Outside Work and Presenteeism Among Korean Wage Workers: An Analysis Using a Nationwide Survey

• Main Authors: Sung Won Jung, June-Hee Lee, Kyung-Jae Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2019-09-01
• Series: Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• Subjects: Presenteeism; Activities outside work; Working conditions survey; Wage worker; Korea
• Online Access: http://www.jpmph.org/upload/pdf/jpmph-52-5-292.pdf
• ISSN: 1975-8375; 2233-4521

Objectives Presenteeism is currently recognized as a significant global health issue that can potentially cause productivity losses. Hence, many studies have analyzed the relationships between workplace factors and presenteeism. However, few studies have considered non-occupational factors. This study examined the associations between presenteeism and activities outside work, including volunteering, self-development, leisure/sports, and gardening and house repair activities, in Korean wage workers. Methods This study analyzed the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey, in which a total of 19 294 wage workers participated. To identify relationships between presenteeism and activities outside work, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used after adjusting for general and occupational characteristics. Results Self-development and leisure/sports activities significantly increased the odds ratio (OR) of presenteeism (OR, 1.166; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.061 to 1.282 and OR, 1.276; 95% CI, 1.181 to 1.379, respectively). Conclusions Certain activities outside work, such as self-development or leisure/sports, were related to presenteeism among Korean wage workers. Although many previous studies have emphasized the positive effects of those activities on health, this study documented negative effects of these activities outside work on health.