Skip Navigation



Occupational Medicine Advance Access published online on July 12, 2006
Occupational Medicine, doi:10.1093/occmed/kql062
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
56/7/455    most recent
kql062v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ghaffari, M.
Right arrow Articles by Vingard, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ghaffari, M.
Right arrow Articles by Vingard, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Article

Low back pain among Iranian industrial workers

Mostafa Ghaffari 1 *, Akbar Alipour 1, Irene Jensen 1, Ali Asghar Farshad 1, and Eva Vingard 1

1 Karolinska Institute-Public Health, PO Box 12718, Stockholm 112 94, Stockholm, Sweden

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Mostafa Ghaffari, E-mail: mostafa.ghaffari{at}cns.ki.se


  Abstract

Background Most epidemiological data concerning low back pain (LBP) are from high-income countries and there is very little information about LBP in the working population in developing countries.

Objectives To determine the prevalence of LBP in Iranian industrial workers. To explore associations between LBP and physical and psychosocial factors at work, as well as lifestyle factors.

Methods Cross-sectional study of the largest car-manufacturing group in Iran. The prevalence of LBP, work exposures and lifestyle factors were recorded using the standardized Nordic questionnaire for analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Demographic data and lifestyle factors (age, sex, education, weight, work experience, smoking and fitness training) were also collected.

Results Of the 18 031 employees, 78% participated. The majority of subjects in this study population were young males (<30 years) and a small proportion was female (4%). The 1-year prevalence of self-reported LBP in this Iranian industrial population was 21% (20% males and 27% females). The prevalence rate of absence due to LBP was 5% per annum. The multiple logistic regression models indicated that the following remained risk indicators for LBP in the previous 12 months: increasing age, no regular exercise, heavy lifting, repetitive work and monotonous work.

Conclusion LPB is a common problem in the working population even in a developing country. Age and gender as well as certain work-related physical and psychosocial factors influenced the prevalence of LBP but the differences between different categories of workers were small.

Keywords: Industrial workers; low back pain; occupational.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.