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

University of Notre Dame

According to the Milken Institute (using 2003 NCS-R data), Americans took roughly 3.6 billion days off within a two-year span due to health-related reasons, leading to an estimated \$127 billion loss. Vuong, Wei, and Beverly (2015) focus on how functional limitations due to chronic diseases relate to the loss of workdays and economic income. Notably, many people with chronic illnesses do not experience impediments to their daily activities; such functional limitations vary based on the type and severity of the condition, along with other personal factors.

Absenteeism Due to Chronic Disease Functional Limitations

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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