International Journal of Public Health · Published 2026-04-23 · DOI 10.3389/ijph.2026.1609400
ObjectiveTo estimate the reduction in sickness absence associated with simulated improvements in influence at work (employees’ ability to influence how and when work tasks are performed) among young Danish employees.MethodsWe used register data from the Danish Work Life Course Cohort, which included 301,185 individuals aged 15–30 who entered the labor market between 2010 and 2018 (mean follow-up: 2.6 years). Annual influence at work was assessed using a job-exposure matrix, which assigned an average level of influence based on job title. Inspired by the parametric g-formula, we used Poisson regression to predict sickness absence days under a simulated scenario in which the influence increased by one standard deviation.ResultsHigher influence was associated with fewer days of sickness absence (rate ratio per one-point increase, range 1–5: 0.71, 95% CI 0.66–0.77). Simulating a standard deviation increase in influence corresponded to a reduction of 0.16 days of sickness absence per person annually, which is equivalent to an estimated reduction of 126,400 (3%) days during the follow-up period. The largest reductions were observed in care work and education.ConclusionSimulated improvements in influence at work may lead to meaningful reductions in sickness absence among young employees.
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