Lack of workplace paid sick time may have contributed an additional five million cases of H1N1 in 2009, when the dangerous new strain of influenza emerged. A team led by University of Pittsburgh doctoral associate Supriya Kumar concludes that a federal mandate for sick leave could significantly reduce health risks across the board, particularly among Hispanics who were disproportionately affected.

Supriya Kumar, PhD, MPH; Sandra Crouse Quinn, PhD; Kevin H. Kim, PhD; Laura H. Daniel, PhD; and Vicki S. Freimuth, PhD. The Impact of Workplace Policies and Other Social Factors on Self-Reported Influenza-Like Illness Incidence During the 2009 H1N1. Pandemic American Journal of Public Health, 2011.

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300307

This article was featured in the January 2012 issue of Working Mother Research Institute’s email newsletter, Working Mother Research Institute Essentials. To read additional stories from that issue, see the related content section above.