Abstract
Chronic back disorders (CBD) are a significant public health concern. Profiling Canadians with CBD and the associated biopsychosocial factors at a national population level is important to understand the burden of this condition and how clinicians, health systems, and related policies might address this potentially growing problem. We performed a secondary analysis of the 2009 and 2010 Canadian Community Health Surveys to calculate prevalence and to better understand the differences between people with and without CBD. An estimated 20.2% of the adult Canadian population reports having back problems lasting for 6 months or more. Among people with CBD, there was significantly greater likelihood of living in a more rural or remote location, being Aboriginal, being a former or current smoker, being overweight, having other chronic health conditions, having greater activity limitations, having higher levels of stress, and having lower perceived mental health. People who were single/never married or had an ethnicity other than Caucasian or Aboriginal were less likely to report having CBD. These results contribute to a growing body of research in the area that may assist with strategic prioritization and tailoring of health promotion efforts and health services for people with CBD, particularly among vulnerable groups.
Highlights
Musculoskeletal disorders comprise a surprisingly large share of the nonfatal disease burden around the world
When comparing adults with and without chronic back disorders (CBD), all of the sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics we examined were significantly different between these groups at the P < 0.05 level
Aboriginal respondents were more likely than Caucasians to report CBD, whereas people with “other” ethnicity were less likely than Caucasians to report CBD
Summary
Musculoskeletal disorders comprise a surprisingly large share of the nonfatal disease burden around the world. In a recent review of the global burden of 290 diseases and conditions, low back pain was found to be the leading cause of years lived with disability [2]. Musculoskeletal conditions, such as low back pain, are likely to increasingly dominate the picture of disability at a population level as the demographic structure of society changes. Low back pain and related disorders have a large societal and personal impact estimated to affect 50–85% of all people at some time in life [3]. Clinical practice guidelines suggest that recovery from an initial onset of acute back pain is usually rapid and complete [6], more recent evidence suggests that persisting (i.e., chronic) pain and disability for up to a year or more are not uncommon [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
