Psychosocial and physical risk factors associated with low back pain: a 24 year follow up among women and men in a broad range of occupations.

Abstract

Both psychosocial factors and physical factors related to work have been found to be associated with low back pain (LBP) in many cross sectional and some longitudinal studies. [1][2][3][4] In analyses of potential risk factors for LBP related to work, often physical factors only, or psychosocial factors only, have been considered. Less often both types of factors have been studied and analysed simultaneously. 5 Even less often have conditions outside work been studied in parallel with work related conditions.6 Such a parallel approach is necessary for an understanding of the relative significance of diVerent risk factors. One argument for this approach is that, especially among women, a large part of the total daily physical and psychosocial load derives from tasks outside work, 7 as pointed out in a review by Frankenhauser. 8A second argument is that there mightbesides the interaction between work related psychosocial factors which has been demonstrated by Lindström 9 -be an interaction between factors related to work and conditions outside work, especially factors of a psychosocial nature. Such factors might influence each other, as mentioned by both Frankenhauser 8 and Friedman.10 Such reciprocal influence complicates analyses of associations between work related psychosocial risk factors and health outcomes, but increases the need for such analyses.In longitudinal studies psychosocial factors such as job satisfaction, work content, control in the work situation, social relations, and mental overstrain have been found to be associated with LBP. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Physical factors in these studies considered to contribute to LBP are physically heavy work and previous back problems.The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between psychosocial and physical factors at work, as well as conditions during leisure time, and LBP over 24 years.

Prevalence and impacts of low back pain among peasant farmers in South-West Nigeria

“…The increase in prevalence of low back pain as years of farming increase may be due to accumulation of repetitive strain of the muscles and ligaments of the back consequent to inconvenient posture assumed during farm activities. The high prevalence of low back pain among male farmers may be due to the fact that they are more involved in heavy manual physical activities than their female counterparts [28,29]. However, this finding disagrees with those of previous studies which concluded that LBP was more frequent among females [28,29].…”

Comment to “Adult back health: retainment and work-related predicting factors in a 5-year perspective” by T. Reigo et al

“…The few long-term population-based studies available have focused on groups with back pain and not on the group without back disorders [7,9,16].…”

Epidemiology

“…In this study, the prevalence of LBP was 24% among men and 34% among women in 1969, and the cumulative incidence of LBP from 1970 to 1992 were 43% and 38% among men and women, respectively. The prevalence of LBP over the past 12 months in 1993 was 39% among men and 44% among women (Thorbjornsson et al, 1998). Moreover, the highest associations between work related factors and LBP (prevalence ratio adjusted for age) was high physical load (1.4) among men and monotonous work (1.6) among women in 1969, full time work (2.1) among men and high mental load (1.4) among women in 1970-1992, and monotonous work (1.5) among men and poor social support (1.2) among women in 1993, respectively (Thorbjornsson et al, 1998).…”

“…Risk estimates of manual material handling, frequent bending and twisting, heavy physical load, static work posture, repetitive movements, and whole-body vibrations for positive associations in physical risk factors at work ranged from 1.12 to 3.07, from 1.29 to 8.09, from 1.54 to 3.71, from 1.30 to 3.29, 1.97, and from 1.47 to 9.00, respectively, and risk estimates of mental stress, job dissatisfaction, work pace, and monotonous work for positive associations in psychological risk factors at work ranged from 1.30 to 2.08, from 1.39 to 2.40, 1.21, and from 1.25 to 2.34, respectively (Burdorf & Sorock, 1997). Thorbjornsson et al, investigated the psychosocial and physical risk factors associated with LBP for over 24 years from 1969 to 1993 (Thorbjornsson et al, 1998). In this study, the prevalence of LBP was 24% among men and 34% among women in 1969, and the cumulative incidence of LBP from 1970 to 1992 were 43% and 38% among men and women, respectively.…”