The Washington Times

Study: Working poor use less sick time

Apr. 5,2005 (UPI) --

Working poor people are less likely to take sick days off the job than more prosperous employees, a Purdue University researcher said.

The study, "Too Poor To Get Sick?" examined data on 2,490 African-American, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican and white Chicago residents in households with annual incomes of under $15,000. More than three-quarters of the respondents were employed.

Residents of poor urban neighborhoods were less likely to seek basic preventive care and more likely to use expensive emergency care, the stury found.

"Interestingly, residents in less poor neighborhoods were more likely to stay home ill from work than those who lived in impoverished neighborhoods," said Sandra Barnes, assistant professor of sociology. "And people who identified their health as fair or poor were less likely to seek regular care or spend days home from work or in the hospital. These results illustrate that, because of economic hardship, some poor people cannot afford to become sick."