Abstract
BackgroundWith the current study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company. We put a specific focus on disabling back pain and its association with sociodemographic, lifestyle- and work-related characteristics.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data, surveyed in health check-ups between 2011 and 2014 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein (Germany). A blood sample, physical examination and anamnesis by an occupational health physician as well as a written questionnaire were part of the check-up. A modified version of the Standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was utilized to survey the back-pain specific information. Disabling back pain was defined as presence of any back pain in the past 12 months which prevented employees from carrying out their usual working tasks. We used multinomial logistic regression analysis to assess the association between (categorical) duration of disabling back pain and sociodemographic, lifestyle-, and work-related characteristics.ResultsOverall, 17,351 employees participated in the health check-up, information on 16,792 persons could be used for analyses. Participants were on average 43.7 (SD: 9.7) years old and mainly male (79.1%). Lifetime-, 12-months-, and 7-days-prevalence of any type and duration of back pain were 72.5, 66.1, and 27.1% respectively. About one third (33.5%) had suffered from an episode of disabling back pain, 16.7% 1–7 days, 10.3% 8–30 days, and 6.5% more than 30 days. Multinomial regression analysis yielded that 8–30 days or more than 30 days of disabling back pain (relative to 0 days) were more likely with older age, female gender, being married, former or current smoking, lower occupational status, higher work-related stress score, history of a spinal injury, and diagnosed dorsopathy.ConclusionsThere is a great need for action regarding multifaceted preventive measures and early interventions, especially for manual workers, older employees and women, where occupational medicine can play a decisive role.
Highlights
With the current study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company
We aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company using data surveyed during voluntary occupational health check-ups
About one third (33.5%) of respondents suffered from an episode of disabling back pain (DBP) in the year prior to participation, 16.7% 1–7 days, 10.3% 8–30 days, 6.5% more than 30 days (Table 2)
Summary
We aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company. Claus et al Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (2019) 14:16 direct (medical) and indirect (economical; e.g. workplace absence) costs of back pain were estimated to amount to €1322 per person a year, corresponding to €49 billion annually for the whole adult German population [8]. In view of these profound individual and societal consequences, the prevention of back pain is of significant importance. We aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company using data surveyed during voluntary occupational health check-ups. Due to its potentially highest impact on individuals and society, we put a specific focus on activity-limiting disabling back pain (DBP) and its association with sociodemographic, lifestyle- and work-related characteristics
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