Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012)
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between organizational downsizing and purchases of prescribed drugs by private sector employees in Norway. METHODS: A natural experiment was constructed using individual-level employer and employee data linked to the national prescription database...
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Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
2017-07-01
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doaj-0cec5211fd7446a7bd0a30a45a1237912021-04-21T06:57:47ZengNordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health0355-31401795-990X2017-07-0143430731510.5271/sjweh.36373637Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012)Silje L Kaspersen0Kristine PapeFredrik CarlsenSolveig Osborg OseJohan Håkon BjorngaardDepartment of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, PB 8905, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between organizational downsizing and purchases of prescribed drugs by private sector employees in Norway. METHODS: A natural experiment was constructed using individual-level employer and employee data linked to the national prescription database for the period 2004–2012. The study population comprised 144 089 employees who had been exposed to major downsizing in the same period. Random effects logistic regression models were used to investigate relative changes in drug purchases (antidepressants, hypnotics/sedatives, anxiolytics, and anti-psychotics, as well as anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular, and thyroid drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and analgesics/antipyretics) in the five-year-period before and after exposure to downsizing. RESULTS: Compared with the situation three years before exposure, the odds ratios (OR) of purchasing psychotropic drugs one year after exposure increased for antidepressants (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.34–1.55), hypnotics/sedatives (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.29–1.49), anxiolytics (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.22–1.43), and antipsychotics (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.19–1.52). Similar associations were found for cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and thyroid drugs. Stratified analyses showed that the odds of purchasing psychotropic, anti-diabetic, and cardiovascular drugs in the years around downsizing was more pronounced in men compared with women. Elevated odds were also found for employees in the oldest age group and those with less than tertiary education. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to organizational downsizing increased the odds of purchasing prescribed psychotropic, cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and thyroid drugs. The clinical implications of these results might be systematic involvement from medical personnel and occupational health services in workforce reduction processes. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3637 cardiovascular diseasesleepmental healthunemploymentnorwaydiabetesworking populationjob losspsychotropic medicationdrug purchasedrugemployee drug purchaseorganizational downsizingnatural experimentsomatic health |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Silje L Kaspersen Kristine Pape Fredrik Carlsen Solveig Osborg Ose Johan Håkon Bjorngaard |
spellingShingle |
Silje L Kaspersen Kristine Pape Fredrik Carlsen Solveig Osborg Ose Johan Håkon Bjorngaard Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health cardiovascular disease sleep mental health unemployment norway diabetes working population job loss psychotropic medication drug purchase drug employee drug purchase organizational downsizing natural experiment somatic health |
author_facet |
Silje L Kaspersen Kristine Pape Fredrik Carlsen Solveig Osborg Ose Johan Håkon Bjorngaard |
author_sort |
Silje L Kaspersen |
title |
Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
title_short |
Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
title_full |
Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
title_fullStr |
Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the Norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
title_sort |
employees’ drug purchases before and after organizational downsizing: a natural experiment on the norwegian working population (2004–2012) |
publisher |
Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) |
series |
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
issn |
0355-3140 1795-990X |
publishDate |
2017-07-01 |
description |
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between organizational downsizing and purchases of prescribed drugs by private sector employees in Norway. METHODS: A natural experiment was constructed using individual-level employer and employee data linked to the national prescription database for the period 2004–2012. The study population comprised 144 089 employees who had been exposed to major downsizing in the same period. Random effects logistic regression models were used to investigate relative changes in drug purchases (antidepressants, hypnotics/sedatives, anxiolytics, and anti-psychotics, as well as anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular, and thyroid drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and analgesics/antipyretics) in the five-year-period before and after exposure to downsizing. RESULTS: Compared with the situation three years before exposure, the odds ratios (OR) of purchasing psychotropic drugs one year after exposure increased for antidepressants (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.34–1.55), hypnotics/sedatives (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.29–1.49), anxiolytics (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.22–1.43), and antipsychotics (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.19–1.52). Similar associations were found for cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and thyroid drugs. Stratified analyses showed that the odds of purchasing psychotropic, anti-diabetic, and cardiovascular drugs in the years around downsizing was more pronounced in men compared with women. Elevated odds were also found for employees in the oldest age group and those with less than tertiary education. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to organizational downsizing increased the odds of purchasing prescribed psychotropic, cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and thyroid drugs. The clinical implications of these results might be systematic involvement from medical personnel and occupational health services in workforce reduction processes. |
topic |
cardiovascular disease sleep mental health unemployment norway diabetes working population job loss psychotropic medication drug purchase drug employee drug purchase organizational downsizing natural experiment somatic health |
url |
https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3637
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work_keys_str_mv |
AT siljelkaspersen employeesdrugpurchasesbeforeandafterorganizationaldownsizinganaturalexperimentonthenorwegianworkingpopulation20042012 AT kristinepape employeesdrugpurchasesbeforeandafterorganizationaldownsizinganaturalexperimentonthenorwegianworkingpopulation20042012 AT fredrikcarlsen employeesdrugpurchasesbeforeandafterorganizationaldownsizinganaturalexperimentonthenorwegianworkingpopulation20042012 AT solveigosborgose employeesdrugpurchasesbeforeandafterorganizationaldownsizinganaturalexperimentonthenorwegianworkingpopulation20042012 AT johanhakonbjorngaard employeesdrugpurchasesbeforeandafterorganizationaldownsizinganaturalexperimentonthenorwegianworkingpopulation20042012 |
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