The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree and causes of presenteeism among participants in the Lifestyle Improvement Support Program among those who possess NCDs in the working population.
The participants were adults who enrolled in the lifestyle improvement support program from November 2023 to May 2024. In addition to basic demographic information, presenteeism was assessed using the The Quantity and Quality (QQ) method and the Single-Item Presenteeism Question (SPQ) from the University of Tokyo. Comparisons by participants characteristics and cause and by number of NCDs were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and ANOVA.
A total of 496 participants were included in the study. The mean age was 55.8 years (SD = 7.0), with 397 males and 99 females. The average height was 168.1 cm (SD = 7.7), the average weight was 77.5 kg (SD = 14.1), and the mean BMI was 27.4 kg/m² (SD = 4.3). The average SPQ score was 84.2 (SD = 14.7). The result of the QQ-method was 0.37 (SD = 0.27). The breakdown of NCDs included 365 participants with hypertension, 265 with diabetes, 313 with dyslipidemia, 12 with cerebrovascular disease, and 36 with ischemic heart disease. The number of NCDs per participant was as follows: 2 participants had no NCDs, 148 had one, 209 had two, 123 had three, 14 had four, and none had five. The most common cause of presenteeism was “nothing in particular” (98 participants), followed by “back pain” (73 participants), “lack of sleep” (48 participants), “stiff shoulders” (32 participants), and “eye strain” (19 participants). When comparing the SPQ scores between the low back pain group (73 participants) and other groups (325 participants), the low back pain group had a significantly higher SPQ score (85.6 [SD = 12.4] vs. 82.0 [SD = 14.2]), indicating lower presenteeism. In the comparison of QQ-method results, the low back pain group had a score of 0.39 (SD = 0.23), while the other groups had a score of 0.37 (SD = 0.28), with no significant difference. The annual productivity loss was estimated at 868,099 yen per year. In addition, no significant differences were observed between the groups in the mean SPQ and QQ method scores according to the number of NCDs.
This study identified the degree and causes of presenteeism in individuals with NCDs who participated in the Lifestyle Improvement Support Program. Low back pain was the most common factor but showed relatively mild presenteeism compared to other factors.
Interventions that include musculoskeletal symptoms are considered important for improving presenteeism in individuals with working-age NCDs.
Non-communicable diseases
Working population
