Association of Demographic and Occupational Factors with the Duration of Sick Leave among Employees of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Sick leave is an important indicator of occupational health that may affect employee productivity and the performance of healthcare organizations. This study investigated the association between demographic and occupational factors and the duration of sick leave among employees of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 440 employees of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences who had referred to the university-appointed physician for approval of their sick leave certificates during the first nine months of 1403 (Iranian calendar year). A census sampling approach was used. Data were collected using a researcher-developed checklist covering demographic and occupational characteristics, as well as the causes and duration of sick leave, and analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient in SPSS version 27. Results: Sick leave duration was significantly associated with marital status, number of children, educational level, job category, workplace, employment status, work experience, and shift work (p < 0.05). Age showed a weak positive correlation with sick leave duration (r = 0.113, p = 0.018), whereas no significant associations were found for the remaining variables. Respiratory diseases (26%), musculoskeletal disorders (21%), and pregnancy- and childbirth-related conditions (12%) were the most common recorded causes of sick leave. Conclusion: Sick leave duration was associated with several demographic and occupational factors. Respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and pregnancy- and childbirth-related conditions were the leading recorded causes of sick leave. These findings may help inform employee health promotion programs and improve sick leave management.