Number of Paid Sick Days Directly Impacts How Americans Use Preventive Care Like Flu Shots

A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine by researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Cleveland State University measured the association between an employee's number of paid sick leave days and the use of preventive healthcare services, reports ScienceDaily . The investigators determined it takes a minimum of 10 or more paid sick leave days to significantly raise the chances that American workers get a flu shot, check their cholesterol and blood pressure, and get a fasting blood sugar test to check for diabetes. Female workers require at least six to nine paid sick leave days to see significantly higher odds of getting a mammogram. Generally, there was 26 percent to 85 percent growth in preventive healthcare use among those with at least 10 or more paid sick leave days versus those with zero to two paid sick leave days. Female-focused preventive services showed a 55 percent increase in the use of preventive mammography. Also uncovered was a disconnect between the number of days usually offered to American employees and the number of days where changes in preventive healthcare use were observed. "It took 10 or more days — more days than are mandated in any of the local U.S. paid sick leave laws — for us to see statistically significant increases in the likelihood of reporting having received a flu vaccination, mammography, and screenings for blood sugar and blood pressure," says FAU Professor LeaAnne DeRigne. "For policymakers who want to increase preventive healthcare services use in this age group, a longer and more generous paid sick leave plan of at least 10 days should be considered."