Background: All over the world, commercial fishing is known to be a hazardous occupation. Although several causal analyses of occupational accidents have been published in recent years, knowledge of the prevalence of sick leave, diagnosis and hospitalization among workers on board Norwegian fishing vessels is still sparse.

Objective: The objective of this study is to provide new knowledge about the prevalence of doctor-certified sick leave among Norwegian fishers compared to an age- and gender-matched control population. A comparison of diagnoses and hospitalizations between these groups is also presented.

Methods: A sample of fishers (n = 25,971) was selected by Statistics Norway (SSB), based on occupation as fishers in 2008–2013. An age- and gender-matched control population (n = 77,913) was also selected. Outpatient consultation and hospitalization data were received from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR).

Results: Fishers have significantly lower rates of sick leave than the general working population as a whole, but a significantly higher rate sick leave than an age- and gender-matched control population. The most common cause of sick leave in both fishers and controls was musculoskeletal problems. Fishers had a higher number of hospital stays than the control group; the stays were more often unscheduled and lasted longer than those of the control group.

Conclusion: The results emphasize the continued need for preventive occupational health strategies in the fishing industry.

背景：在世界各地，商业捕鱼被认为是一种危险的职业。尽管近年来已发表了几篇关于职业事故的因果分析，但对挪威渔船上工人病假，诊断和住院的普遍性的了解仍然很少。

目的：本研究的目的是提供与年龄和性别相匹配的对照人群相比，挪威渔民中医生证明病假患病率的新知识。还对这些组之间的诊断和住院情况进行了比较。

方法：根据挪威统计局在2008-2013年的渔民职业，选择了挪威统计局（SSB）的渔民样本（n = 25,971）。还选择了年龄和性别匹配的对照人群（n = 77,913）。从挪威患者注册中心（NPR）接收了门诊咨询和住院数据。

结果：渔民的病假率明显低于一般劳动人口，但病假率明显高于年龄和性别相称的对照人群。在渔民和控制人员中，病假最常见的原因是肌肉骨骼问题。渔民的住院次数要多于对照组。与对照组相比，住院时间多为计划外且持续时间更长。

结论：结果强调了渔业中对预防性职业健康策略的持续需求。