Course and Contributors to Back Pain in Middle-aged Women Over 9 Years: Data From the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

Study Design. Community-based, cohort study. Objective. Our aim was to determine the course of back pain in middle-aged women over a 9-year period, and assess whether obesity and physical inactivity are associated with more frequent back pain. Summary of Background Data. Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. With minimal effective therapies and rising financial burden, identifying modifiable risk factors remains a key priority. Methods. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a cohort study of community-based, middle-aged women who completed questionnaires every 3 years between 2004 and 2013. Approximately, 10,530 women completed the survey in 2004 (mean age 55.5 yrs), and 9020 completed follow-up 9 years later. Self-reported data on back pain in the last 12 months and other sociodemographic factors were collected at all four surveys. ‘Frequent back pain’ was defined as back pain reported at ≥ three surveys. Results. Back pain was common and persistent, with 48% having back pain in ≥ three out of four surveys. Baseline obesity (relative risk [RR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–1.25), lack of vigorous physical activity (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10–1.25), depressive symptoms (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.33–1.47), and low-education status (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.12–1.24), were independently associated with an increased risk of frequent back pain (all P 
Source: Spine - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: EPIDEMIOLOGY Source Type: research