Prevalence, Recognition of Work-Relatedness, and Effect on Work of Low Back Pain Among U.S. Workers
Authors: Sara E. Luckhaupt, James M. Dahlhamer, Gabriella T. Gonzales, Ming-Lun Lu, Matthew Groenewold, Marie Haring Sweeney, Brian W. Ward
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Letters20 August 2019Prevalence, Recognition of Work-Relatedness, and Effect on Work of Low Back Pain Among U.S. WorkersSara E. Luckhaupt, MD, MPH, James M. Dahlhamer, PhD, Gabriella T. Gonzales, BS, Ming-Lun Lu, PhD, Matthew Groenewold, PhD, Marie Haring Sweeney, PhD, and Brian W. Ward, PhDSara E. Luckhaupt, MD, MPHNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio (S.E.L., M.L., M.G., M.H.S.)Search for more papers by this author, James M. Dahlhamer, PhDNational Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland (J.M.D., B.W.W.)Search for more papers by this author, Gabriella T. Gonzales, BSThe Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio (G.T.G.)Search for more papers by this author, Ming-Lun Lu, PhDNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio (S.E.L., M.L., M.G., M.H.S.)Search for more papers by this author, Matthew Groenewold, PhDNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio (S.E.L., M.L., M.G., M.H.S.)Search for more papers by this author, Marie Haring Sweeney, PhDNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio (S.E.L., M.L., M.G., M.H.S.)Search for more papers by this author, and Brian W. Ward, PhDNational Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland (J.M.D., B.W.W.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-3602 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: The employment of patients with back pain has implications for both the factors causing or contributing to the pain and its effects, but few estimates of the proportion of back pain that is related to work in the United States are available (1). In 2015, the NHIS (National Health Interview Survey) collected supplemental data about the work-relatedness and the effects on work of back pain—specifically, low back pain (LBP)—among U.S. workers for the first time since 1988.Objective: To estimate the burden of LBP among U.S. workers, its work-relatedness, and its effect on work.Methods and Findings: The NHIS ...References1. Luckhaupt SE, Calvert GM. Work-relatedness of selected chronic medical conditions and workers' compensation utilization: National Health Interview Survey occupational health supplement data. Am J Ind Med. 2010;53:1252-63. [PMID: 20721967] doi:10.1002/ajim.20885 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. National Center for Health Statistics. 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Public Use Data Release: Survey Description. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2016. Google Scholar3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Musculoskeletal Disorders and Workplace Factors: A Critical Review of Epidemiologic Evidence for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck, Upper Extremity, and Low Back. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1997. Google Scholar4. Levy BS, Wegman DH, Baron SL, Sokas RK, eds. Occupational and Environmental Health: Recognizing and Preventing Disease and Injury. 6th ed. New York: Oxford Univ Pr; 2011. Google Scholar5. Gill TK, Tucker GR, Avery JC, Shanahan EM, Menz HB, Taylor AW, et al. The use of self-report questions to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems: a test-retest study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016;17:100. [PMID: 26911879] doi:10.1186/s12891-016-0946-6 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio (S.E.L., M.L., M.G., M.H.S.)National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland (J.M.D., B.W.W.)The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio (G.T.G.)Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or the National Center for Health Statistics.Financial Support: All authors are federal government employees, with the exception of Ms. Gonzales, who was a medical student at the time of this study. The NHIS and preparation of this manuscript were completely funded by the U.S. government.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-3602.Reproducible Research Statement: Study protocol: Available from the National Center for Health Statistics' Ethics Review Board Protocol #2015-08. Statistical code: Available from Dr. Dahlhamer (e-mail, [email protected]gov). Data set: Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/nhis_2015_data_release.htm.This article was published at Annals.org on 14 May 2019. 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