Sickness absence is a common consequence of road traffic crashes, with high costs for the individual and society. Yet, scarcely studied, therefore, the aim was to describe sickness absence among injured car occupants.
A population‐based study using register data was conducted, including all car occupants of working age living in Sweden, who in 2010 had specialised in‐ or outpatient healthcare due to a car crash (n=9427). Individuals were categorised based on age, sex, and injury type. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for a new sickness absence spell >14 days were estimated.
After excluding the 9% already on sickness absence or disability pension, 10% had a new sickness absence spell >14 days. Sex and crash type were not associated with new sickness absence, while old age and being born outside Europe were associated with higher odds ratios. Odds ratios varied with the type of injury and injured body region. The odds ratio for sickness absence was highest for injuries to the spine and spinal cord odds ratio: 8.64 (95% confidence interval 6.45‐11.57). Traumatic brain injuries except concussion had an odds ratio of 6.99 (4.04‐12.08) while concussions had an odds ratio of 2.66 (1.80‐3.93).