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The prevalence of and risk factors for back pain among home care nursing personnel in Hong Kong
Author(s) -
Cheung Kin,
Gillen Marion,
Faucett Julia,
Krause Niklas
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20243
Subject(s) - medicine , confounding , logistic regression , nursing homes , cross sectional study , population , attributable risk , back pain , nursing , environmental health , physical therapy , alternative medicine , pathology
Background There is a large gap in research with regard to back pain (BP) among home care nursing personnel (HCNP); only seven studies have been conducted worldwide. There is a need to identify the magnitude of and risk factors for BP that are unique to Hong Kong (HK) HCNP. Methods A total population sampling technique was employed in this cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses were used to control for potentially confounding variables. Results The 12‐month prevalence of upper and lower BP was 71.2% (n = 265). Three predictors were identified: physical risk factors in the office (OR = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.55–8.24), static postures (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.04–1.90), and psychological job demands (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.01–1.22). Conclusion HCNP in HK have a high prevalence of BP. BP in HK HCNP is independently attributable to physical work factors in the office, static postures, and psychological job demands, and is not primarily associated with patient lifting and transferring which are traditionally identified as risk factors for BP in hospital nursing personnel. Am. J. Ind. Med. 49:14–22, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.