Occupational status and self-reported low back pain by gender: a nation-wide cross-sectional study among the general population in Japan.
10.1186/s12199-021-01031-2
- Author:
Kimiko TOMIOKA
1
;
Midori SHIMA
2
;
Keigo SAEKI
2
Author Information
1. Nara Prefectural Health Research Center, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan. tkimiko@naramed-u.ac.jp.
2. Nara Prefectural Health Research Center, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Cross-sectional studies;
Employment status;
Epidemiology;
Japan;
Low back pain;
Occupation
- MeSH:
Adult;
Aged;
Cross-Sectional Studies;
Employment/statistics & numerical data*;
Female;
Humans;
Japan/epidemiology*;
Low Back Pain/epidemiology*;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Occupational Diseases/epidemiology*;
Occupations/statistics & numerical data*;
Prevalence;
Self Report;
Sex Distribution
- From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
2021;26(1):111-111
- CountryJapan
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:We aimed to examine the cross-sectional association between occupational class and self-reported low back pain (LBP) in a representative sample of the Japanese general population.
METHODS:We used anonymized data from a nationwide survey (31,443 men and 35,870 women aged ≥ 20). Occupational class variables included working status, occupation, employment status, and company size (number of employees). Covariates included age, socio-economic status, lifestyle, and comorbidities. Poisson regression models stratified by gender were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for self-reported LBP.
RESULTS:The prevalence of self-reported LBP was 11.7% in men and 14.2% in women. After adjustment for covariates and mutual adjustment for all occupational class variables, among both genders, agricultural/forestry/fishery workers and non-workers had a significantly higher prevalence of self-reported LBP: APR (95% CI) of agricultural/forestry/fishery was 1.36 (1.08-1.70) in men and 1.59 (1.30-1.93) in women; that of non-workers was 1.42 (1.18-1.70) in men and 1.23 (1.08-1.40) in women. Among men, non-regular employees were more likely to have self-reported LBP than regular employees: APR (95% CI) was 1.25 (1.07-1.46) in part-timers and casual staff and 1.18 (1.03-1.35) in other types of non-regular employees. Moreover, compared to men working at companies with ≥ 100 employees, men working at companies with 30-99 employees had a significantly higher prevalence of self-reported LBP (APR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.34). Among women, professionals and technicians (1.26; 1.11-1.43) and sales workers (1.22; 1.04-1.43) had a significantly higher prevalence of self-reported LBP than clerks. Neither employment status nor company size was associated with self-reported LBP in women. After stratified analyses by age group, similar patterns were observed in participants aged 20-64, but not in those aged ≥ 65.
CONCLUSION:Our results suggest that self-reported LBP is highly prevalent among agricultural/forestry/fishery workers and the unemployed, regardless of gender, and that there are also gender differences in the association of occupational class factors with self-reported LBP. It is necessary, therefore, to take preventive measures against LBP based on gender and occupational class factors in Japan.
