Just as a seed needs the right conditions to grow and flourish, our bodies need regular check-ups to ensure they are functioning properly. By catching potential health issues early, we can prevent them from becoming bigger problems down the road. Just like how a gardener regularly checks on their plants, catching and addressing any issues early on, a preventative health check allows us to catch and address any potential health issues before they become bigger problems.
Think of preventative health check-ups as a form of “preventive maintenance” for our bodies. Just as we regularly service our cars to ensure they run smoothly, we should be doing the same for our bodies, catching and addressing any issues early on before they become more serious and costly down the road.
Investing in preventative health check-ups is investing in a healthy and happy life.
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There are four main reasons for sickness absence in the UK; these have shown the highest percentage of occurrences over most of the decade.
- The percentage of occurrences is the percentage of times a specific reason was given for hours lost because of sickness.
- “Minor Illnesses” includes coughs, colds and flu; sickness, nausea and diarrhoea.
- “Musculoskeletal problems” includes back pain, neck and upper limb problems and other musculoskeletal problems.
- “Other” includes accidents, poisonings, infectious diseases, skin disorders, diabetes and anything else not covered.
- “Mental health conditions” include stress, depression, anxiety and serious mental health problems.
The 2020 figures are:
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minor illnesses (26.1%)
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other conditions (17.1%)
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musculoskeletal problems (15.4%)
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mental health conditions (11.6%)
Minor illness includes coughs, colds and flu; sickness, nausea and diarrhoea, and was the biggest single reason for sickness absence over the decade. However, we saw a fall of 4.3 percentage points between 2019 and 2020; this could be because of the restrictions of the pandemic and less social contact resulting in less transmission of germs.
Musculoskeletal problems, which includes back pain, neck and upper limb problems and other musculoskeletal problems, were the second most common reason for sickness absence for most of the decade. However, in 2020, “other” problems have become the second most common reason for sickness absence. This includes accidents, poisonings, infectious diseases, skin disorders, diabetes and anything else not covered.
The “Other” category is the advised category for reporting coronavirus-related illnesses, which could be one reason for the increase. However, since the data are self-reported, coronavirus-related illnesses could also be reported elsewhere, such as under “Respiratory conditions” or “Minor illnesses”. From April 2020, if a respondent answered any of these options, they were asked a follow-up question about whether this sickness absence was because of the coronavirus. Since April 2020, the coronavirus has accounted for 14.0% of all occurrences of sickness absence.
“How can we keep working age people healthy and how can the workplace be used to promote health?”
Now is your opportunity to make a real difference.
Circular1 Health provides Proactive Health Partnerships, would you like to know more?
Figures & images from the government office of national statistics.
Updated comparison from ONS April 2022
