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Background: Denmark and Sweden have implemented reforms that narrowed disability benefit eligibility criteria. Such reforms in combination with increasing work demands create a pincer movement where in particular those with moderate health problems might be unable to comply with work demands, but still not qualify for permanent disability benefits, ending up with temporary means-tested or no benefits. This paper examines whether this actually happened before and after the reforms., Methods: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) study waves 1-2 and 4-6 in Denmark and Sweden for the age group 50-59 years (N=5384) was used to analyse changes in employment rates and benefits among people with different levels of health before, during and after disability benefit reforms. Interaction between time and health in relation to employment versus permanent or temporary benefits was used as a criterion for whether our hypotheses was confirmed., Results: Overall, employment rates have increased in the age group, but only among the healthy. The OR for receiving temporary or no benefits increased from 1.25 (95% CI: 0.81 to 1.90) before to 1.73 (95% CI: 1.14 to 2.61) after policy reforms for the 29% with moderate health problems and from 2.89 (95% CI: 1.66 to 5.03) to 6.71 (95% CI: 3.94 to 11.42) among the 11% with severe health problems. The interaction between time and health was statistically significant (p<0.001)., Conclusion: People with impaired health and workability are forced into a life with temporary means-tested or no benefits when pressed by rising work demands and stricter disability benefit eligibility criteria., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: To assess whether the changes in Swedish sickness insurance in 2008 were associated with termination of benefits (TOB) or transition to disability pension (DP) for individuals in compensated sick leave of varying duration. Changes were (1) introduction of sick-listing guidelines and (2) stricter criteria for eligibility to disability pension and sickness cash benefit and time limits for the latter., Methods: The study population consisted of 2 556 211 cases of compensated sick leave with onset during 2006-2010 from the Swedish national social insurance registers. TOB and DP were analysed with Cox-proportional hazard regression., Results: After the introduction of sick-listing guidelines, TOB increased for both women [hazard ratio (HR) 1.10] and men (HR 1.07). The additional introduction of stricter rules 4 months later were modestly associated with TOB (HR: women 1.01, men 0.99) and transition to DP among men decreased with stronger associations for spells exceeding 180 days (HR 0.86). For women transition to DP surprisingly increased with stricter criteria (HR 1.09), although this pattern was reversed in sick leave spells exceeding 1 year (HR 0.90)., Conclusions: Introducing sick-listing guidelines for different illnesses and diseases could have had a considerable impact on TOB. The additional introduction of stricter eligibility rules and time limits seem to have contributed less to TOB but clearly reduced DP in longer sickness spells.

Background: Neck and low back pain are common musculoskeletal complaints generating large societal costs in Western populations. In this study we evaluate the magnitude of long-term health outcomes for neck and low back pain, taking possible confounders into account., Method: A cohort of 2,351 Swedish male farmers and rural non-farmers (40-60 years old) was established in 1989. In the first survey, conducted in 1990-91, 1,782 men participated. A 12-year follow-up survey was made in 2002-03 and 1,405 men participated at both times. After exclusion of 58 individuals reporting a specific back diagnosis in 1990-91, the study cohort encompassed 1,347 men. The health outcomes primary care consultation, hospital admission, sick leave and disability pension were assessed in structured interviews in 2002-03 (survey 2). Symptoms and potential confounders were assessed at survey 1, with the exception of rating of depression and anxiety, which was assessed at survey 2. Multiple logistic regression generating odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) was performed to adjust the associations between reported symptoms and health outcomes for potential confounders (age, farming, workload, education, demand and control at work, body mass index, smoking, snuff use, alcohol consumption, psychiatric symptoms and specific back diagnoses during follow up)., Results: Of the 836 men reporting current neck and/or low back pain at survey 1, 21% had had at least one primary care consultation for neck or low back problems, 7% had been on sick leave and 4% had disability pension owing to the condition during the 12 year follow up. Current neck and/or low back pain at survey 1 predicted primary care consultations (OR = 4.10, 95% CI 2.24-7.49) and sick leave (OR = 3.22, 95% CI 1.13-9.22) after potential confounders were considered. Lower education and more psychiatric symptoms were independently related to sick leave. Lower education and snuff use independently predicted disability pension., Conclusion: Few individuals with neck or low back pain were on sick leave or were granted a disability pension owing to neck or low back problems during 12 years of follow up. Symptoms at baseline independently predicted health outcomes. Educational level and symptoms of depression/anxiety were important modifiers.