Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Three Occupational Groups in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Details

• Personal Author:
  Courtney TK ; Jin K ; Sorock, Gary S.
• Description:
  Problem: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most prevalent work-related conditions affecting employed populations in developed countries, yet little is known about this condition among the world's largest, single-nation labor force: The People's Republic of China. Method: This is a cross-sectional study of the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among garment workers, battery/kiln workers, and teachers in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Data were collected by personal interview and physical examination at six work sites. The overall response rate was 78%. Results: The overall (N = 383) self-reported annual prevalence of LBP symptoms lasting 24 hours or more was 50%. Garment workers had a higher annual prevalence of LBP (74%) than teachers (40%), prevalence ratio (PR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.4-2.4). Discussion: The overall annual prevalence of self-reported LBP (50%) was higher than that reported among 50 other Chinese employed study populations (30%). Healthy worker effects may have limited the conclusions from this cross-sectional study. Summary: These results suggest that LBP is a prevalent condition in Chinese workers and that more work should be done to estimate its impact on the Chinese workforce. The findings for garment workers were consistent with increased risk of LBP among persons doing work in fixed, sedentary postures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Back Pain China Garment Workers Health Effects Low Back Pain Occupational Statistical Analysis Work Environment Workers
• ISSN:
  0022-4375
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  23-28
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057047
• Citation:
  J Safety Res 2004 Feb; 35(1):23-28
• Contact Point Address:
  Theodore K. Courtney, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748
• Email:
  theodore.courtney@libertymutual.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Safety Research
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8d8d2fa73ee1bce02c5ae1bf29e5f20792f017d62497cd61c9f61f646b512dd2900b413add91aacbade154dfc48d54ae371ad7d601be2c9cc9e1592a59015103
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214520/cdc_214520_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 118.09 KB ]