A study from researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University is the first to measure the link between a worker’s number of paid sick days and whether or not that determines if they will get a flu shot or utilize other preventive health services.

Looking at more than 3,200 responses to the 2014 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth from workers ages 49-57, researchers found that workers with 10 or more paid sick days were 26 to 85 percent more likely than workers with 2 or less paid sick days to get a flu shot, or have their cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar checked. Women with at least 6 to 9 days were 55 percent more likely to get a preventive mammogram screening.

Adults with 10 or more sick leave days had a 33 percent increase in getting a flu shot, a 28 percent increase in screening blood sugar, a 34 percent increase in having their cholesterol screened, and a 69 percent increase in checking blood pressure when compared to workers with 0 to 2 days of sick leave.

The median number of paid sick days they found in this survey was 7. Almost 27 percent of respondents had 0 paid sick days. But 93.5 percent of the sample reported having a health care plan or health insurance. There is evidence from this study that suggests workers in this country who have paid sick leave are much more likely to use preventive health care services.

LeaAnne DeRigne, Ph.D. is the lead author of the study and an associate professor in the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work within FAU’s College for Design and Social Inquiry. She noted that it wasn’t until workers reported having 10 or more days that the researchers saw statistically significant increases in the likelihood of reporting preventive health behaviors. She said that policy makers who want to increase the utilization of preventive health care services for that age group should consider a paid sick leave plan of at least 10 days.

“Preventive care is intended to catch medical conditions before they progress as well as preventing the spread of contagious diseases like influenza, which has reached epidemic proportions this year,” said DeRigne. “Despite having access, Americans only get half of the recommended requirements for preventive health care services. There are many factors that contribute to this dilemma, including adequate paid sick leave days.”

DeRigne and the co-author of the study Patricia Stoddard-Dare, associate professor of social work at Cleveland State University, suggest expanded evening and weekend office hours for clinics, or bringing preventive care services to workplaces so that more employees have the chance to receive such services. They warn that lack of paid sick leave not only influences the workplace but the public at large because workers without paid sick leave are more likely to go to work when they are sick and infect others with contagious diseases.

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Read the press release from Florida Atlantic University