Premium
Back problems among emergency medical services professionals: The LEADS health and wellness follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Studnek Jonathan R.,
Crawford J. Mac,
Wilkins J.R.,
Pennell Michael L.
Publication year - 2010
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.20783
Subject(s) - medicine , back pain , health professionals , low back pain , physical therapy , health care , alternative medicine , pathology , economics , economic growth
Objective Describe work‐life and demographic characteristics associated with reporting recent back pain, and estimate back pain severity among Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals. Methods A 58‐item postal questionnaire was used to collect relevant health and wellness information from a national sample of EMS professionals. The outcome variables were self‐reported pain in the back or legs, and severity of recent back pain as indicated by the Aberdeen Back Pain Scale (ABPS). Results There were 470/930 (50.5%) participants who reported one or more days of pain in the back or legs over a 2‐week period. The variables most strongly associated with recent back pain and pain severity were prior back problems, self‐reported health, and job satisfaction. Conclusion This study indicated that work‐life, health, and demographic characteristics of EMS professionals were associated with reporting recent back pain. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:12–22, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.