Low Back Pain in Commercial Airline Pilots

Albermann, Matthias; Lehmann, Maria; Eiche, Christian; Schmidt, Joachim; Prottengeier, Johannes

doi:10.3357/amhp.5656.2020

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Some evidence has indicated an elevated incidence for melanoma and kidney disease compared to the general population 1,4 . Further, noteworthy risk prevalence has been reported for back pain, 9 obesity, 2,5 metabolic syndrome, 10 physical inactivity, 8,11 poor sleep, 11,12 and depressive symptoms in pilots 13 …”

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confidence: 99%

The prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots: a cross‐sectional comparison with the general population

Driller

Johnston²,

Gill

2022

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Objective: To explore the prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots and compare these with the general population. Methods: Health risk measures: age, sex, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, sleep, physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable intake (FV) were analysed to determine the prevalence and distribution of health risk. Results: Obesity prevalence and BMI was lower in pilots (p=<0.001, −17.5%, d=−0.41, and p=<0.05, −1.8, d=−0.37, respectively), yet overall overweight and obesity prevalence did not differ between groups (p=0.20). No difference was observed between groups for hypertension (p=0.79, h=−0.01), yet a higher proportion of pilots were ‘at risk’ for hypertension (p=<0.001, h=−0.34). The general population had longer sleep duration (p=<0.001, d=0.12), achieved more total PA minutes (p=<0.001, d=0.75), and had a higher prevalence of positive self‐rated health (p=<0.001, h=0.31). More pilots achieved >5 servings of FV daily (p=0.002, h=0.16). Conclusion: Pilots had lower obesity prevalence, higher FV, yet lower positive self‐health ratings and total PA minutes, and shorter sleep duration overall. Implications for public health: The results indicate notable health risk factor prevalence in airline pilots and the general population. Based on present findings, aviation health researchers should further examine targeted, cost‐effective intervention methods for promoting healthy bodyweight, managing blood pressure, and enhancing health behaviours to mitigate the risks of occupational morbidity, medical conditions causing loss of licence, medical incapacity, and to support flight safety.

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confidence: 99%

The prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots: a cross‐sectional comparison with the general population

Driller

Johnston²,

Gill

2022

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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“…Moreover, in a cross-sectional study, Runeson-Broberg et al [ 35 ] identified having a high work demand, being female, having low social support, and suffering from psychosocial stress as risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms. Albermann et al [ 36 ], in a cross-sectional study, identified a high prevalence of chronic low back pain among pilots (82.7%) and a significant association with low back pain in those who had a total flight time of more than 600 h in the previous 12 months ( Table 4 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational Risk Factors for Aircrew Health: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies

Marqueze

Benevides

Russo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Addressing the field of health and safety at work, the primary objective of the present systematic review was to analyze the organizational risk factors for aircrew health according to professional category (flight attendants and pilots/co-pilots) and their consequences. The secondary objective was to identify the countries in which studies were carried out, focusing on the quality of content of the publications. The Medline/Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for eligible studies according to PRISMA statements. The risk of bias and the methodological quality of the studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and Loney tools. Of the 3230 abstracts of articles screened, 36 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the research conducted on risk factors for the work organization of aircrew was carried out in the United States and the European Union and had moderate or low-quality methodology and evidence. However, the findings are homogeneous and allow the most prevalent organizational risk factors for the health of aircrew to be determined, namely, high work demand, long hours, and night work. Consequently, the most pervasive health problems were sleep disturbances, mental health disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and fatigue. Thus, the regulation of the aircrew profession must prioritize measures that minimize these risk factors to promote better health and sleep for these professionals and, consequently, to provide excellent safety for workers and passengers.

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“…Health promotion interventions for pilots aimed at improving nutrition, PA, and sleep behaviors are likely to produce positive outcomes toward common perceived work-related wellbeing issues expressed by pilots, including; sleep difficulties [ 9 ], psychological fatigue [ 45 ], musculoskeletal issues [ 46 ], digestive problems [ 47 ], and may mitigate NCD risks [ 48 ]. Indeed, some evidence suggests that those who achieve health recommendations for sleep, PA and fruit and vegetable intake are more likely to achieve optimal health than those engaging in zero to one healthy behavior [ 49 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Sleep Hygiene to Promote Cardiometabolic Health of Airline Pilots: A Narrative Review

Driller

Johnston²,

Gill

2023

JLM

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Background Airline pilots experience unique occupational demands that may contribute to adverse physical and psychological health outcomes. Epidemiological reports have shown a substantial prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors including excessive body weight, elevated blood pressure, poor lifestyle behaviors, and psychological fatigue. Achieving health guidelines for lifestyle behavior nutrition, physical activity, and sleep are protective factors against the development of noncommunicable diseases and may mitigate the unfavorable occupational demands of airline pilots. This narrative review examines occupational characteristics for sleep, nutrition, and physical activity and outlines evidence-based strategies to inform health behavior interventions to mitigate cardiometabolic health risk factors among airline pilots. Methods Literature sources published between 1990 and 2022 were identified through electronic searches in PubMed, MEDLINE (via OvidSP), PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and a review of official reports and documents from regulatory authorities pertaining to aviation medicine and public health was conducted. The literature search strategy comprised key search terms relating to airline pilots, health behaviors, and cardiometabolic health. The inclusion criteria for literature sources were peer-reviewed human studies, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and reports or documents published by regulatory bodies. Results The results of the review show occupational factors influencing nutrition, sleep, and physical activity behaviors and delineate evident occupational disruptions to these lifestyle behaviors. Evidence from clinical trials demonstrates the efficacy of nutrition, sleep, and physical activity interventions for enhancing the cardiometabolic health of airline pilots. Conclusion This narrative review suggests that implementing evidence-based interventions focused on nutrition, physical activity, and sleep could help mitigate cardiometabolic health risk factors among airline pilots, who are particularly susceptible to adverse health outcomes due to unique occupational demands.

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Low Back Pain in Commercial Airline Pilots

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

The prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots: a cross‐sectional comparison with the general population

The prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots: a cross‐sectional comparison with the general population

Organizational Risk Factors for Aircrew Health: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies

Healthy Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Sleep Hygiene to Promote Cardiometabolic Health of Airline Pilots: A Narrative Review

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