PREVALENCE OF SICKNESS ABSENTEEISM AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG FLOWER INDUSTRY WORKERS IN BISHOFTU TOWN, OROMIA REGION, SOUTH EAST ETHIOPIA, 2018

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: According to International Labor Organization report of 2017, more than 340 million accidents and diseases occurred on the job yearly and about 50% to 60% of them cause employees away from work due to illness (sickness absenteeism) for at least four working days. Sickness absenteeism occurs when employees miss work due to health problems. It results in economic effects and loss of work time in both developing and developed countries. However, there is scarcity of information on the magnitude and factors associated with sickness absenteeism in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the magnitude of sickness absenteeism and identify associated factors among flower industries in Bishoftu town. Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2018. Stratified sampling followed by simple random sampling method was used to select 444 study participants. Data was collected through face to face interview method using structured and pretested questionnaire. SPSS version 20 was used to carry out binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals was calculated and significance of associations were determined at p-value < 0.05. Results: A total of 444 employees completed the questionnaire making response rate of 100%. The prevalence of sickness absenteeism among flower industry workers was 54.5 % [95 % CI: (50.2, 59.0)] in the past six months.The factors associated with sickness absenteeism on the multivariable analysis were sex [AOR: 2.6, 95% CI: (1.71, 4.01)], sickness presenteeism [AOR: 3.2, 95 % CI: (2.03, 4.92)], drinking alcohol [AOR: 1.6, 95 % CI: (1.02, 2.59)], and job satisfaction [AOR: 1.6, 95 % CI: (1.04, 2.44)]. Conclusion: In this study, more than half of the study participants had exprerienced sickness absenteeism in past six months. Interventions should focus on managing working condition of women, improving workers’ job satisfaction and addressing sickness absenteeism and sickness presenteeism simultaneously. Key words: Sickness Absenteeism, Flower Industry workers, Prevalence, associated factors, cross-sectional, Ethiop