The relation between the number of symptoms and other health indicators in working men and women

Simple symptom counts are widely used Indicators of ill-health in health survey research. However, there has only been little research aimed at a better understanding of symptom counts. The purpose of this study was to explore the number of symptoms (a summary score derived from 10 unspecific self-reported symptoms) in a ‘healthy’ population. We reanalysed data on a sample of 850 employed men and women (Berne Workplace Health Project). Stepwise ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to study the relation of the number of symptoms to contextual, person-related, behavioural, and health-related variables. In neither men nor women were any of the sociodemographic Indicators significantly associated with the number of symptoms. Of the work-related variables, low job discretion and adverse work environment were significantly associated with the number of symptoms and there was a statistical trend for high job demands. In women, dissatisfaction with salary was the only work-related variable which was significant. The private context, on the other hand, seemed to be more influential for women than for men and there was a statistical trend for strain at home. Among the person-related factors studied, age and emotional problems were significantly associated to the number of symptoms in both men and women. Psychological ill-health and negative future orientation were significant only in men and immersion only in women. Physical inactivity in leisure time was the only behavioural variable found to be significantly associated to the number of symptoms. Among the health-related factors, poor self-rated health was significant for both gender groups, while obesity was significant only in men. Only categories of variables being hypothesized to be unfavourable in terms of health were associated with a higher number of symptoms. Most of the associations found seem to be theoretically meaningful. Despite methodological provisos, our findings support a conception of the number of symptoms as an indicator of general ill-health.