Respondents to the 2012 NHIS self-reported the number of bed days and lost work days they experienced in the previous 12 months due to a variety of medical conditions. A bed day is defined as one-half or more days in bed because of injury or illness in past 12 months, excluding hospitalization. A missed, or lost, work day is defined as absence from work because of illness or injury in the past 12 months, excluding maternity or family leave.
Although the exact cause of these bed and lost work days cannot be determined because some respondents reported multiple health conditions, 70% of persons reporting bed and lost work days reported having a musculoskeletal condition. This is more than twice the proportion reporting depression, the second most common medical condition listed for causing lost work days, and five or more times the proportion for other major health conditions. Overall, the high proportion of workers reporting lost work days or bed days as a result of a musculoskeletal condition results in an economic burden on the economy—much higher than that reported for chronic circulatory or chronic respiratory conditions. (Reference Table 1.8.3 PDF [1] CSV [2])
More than one in three persons (34%) reported at least one bed day in the previous 12 months because of a medical condition. One in four (24.5%) reported having a musculoskeletal condition, six times the rate reported for depression and circulatory conditions, the second and third most common conditions reported.
The average number of bed days reported by persons with musculoskeletal conditions was 9, for a total of more than 752 million bed days among persons with these conditions. Although the average number of bed days reported for other major health conditions was greater than for musculoskeletal conditions, the much higher proportion of the population with bed days because of musculoskeletal conditions resulted in the much higher number of total days. (Reference Table 1.8.1 PDF [3] CSV [4] and Table 1.8.3 PDF [1] CSV [2])
Females and persons age 45 to 64 report higher rates of bed days because of musculoskeletal conditions than do males and adults age 18 to 44 or over 65. (Reference Table 1.8.4 PDF [5] CSV [6] and Table 1.8.5 PDF [7] CSV [8])
Twenty-eight million persons with a musculoskeletal condition, or roughly one in eight people in the prime working ages between 18 and 64 in the United States in 2012, reported lost work days in the previous 12 months, totaling more than 216 million days. Lost work days for persons with a musculoskeletal conditions accounted for more than four times as many days as the second highest condition, which was depression. Chronic circulatory conditions, including high blood pressure and heart conditions, accounted for 32.3 million lost work days, and were reported by only 1% of the working age population. Chronic respiratory conditions accounted for 16.5 million lost work days. On average, workers lost nearly 8 days in a 12-month period because of musculoskeletal conditions. Workers lost an average of 15 days because of circulatory conditions, but with a much smaller prevalence than musculoskeletal conditions. (Reference Table 1.8.2 PDF [9] CSV [10], and Table 1.8.3 PDF [1] CSV [2])
As with bed days, females and persons age 45 to 64 report higher rates of lost work days because of musculoskeletal conditions than do males and adults age 18 to 44 or over 65. (Reference Table 1.8.4 PDF [5] CSV [6], and Table 1.8.5 PDF [7] CSV [8])
Links:
[1] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.3.pdf
[2] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.3.csv
[3] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.1.pdf
[4] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.1.csv
[5] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.4.pdf
[6] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.4.csv
[7] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.5.pdf
[8] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.5.csv
[9] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.2.pdf
[10] https://bmus.latticegroup.com/docs/T1.8.2.csv