Prevalence and consequences of low back problems in The Netherlands, working vs non-working population, the MORGEN-Study. Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Disease.

OBJECTIVE

To study the burden of illness of low back problems--prevalence and consequences--in the working and the non-working population.

METHODS

Data from the Monitoring Project on Risk factors for Chronic Diseases, the MORGEN-study, were used. This project provided data on a probability sample of the general population aged 20-59 y in the Netherlands. Cross-sectional questionnaire data on 6317 men (24% non-working) and 7505 women (47% non-working) gathered over the period 1993-1995 were analysed.

RESULTS

The 12 month period prevalence of low back problems for the working and non-working population was 44.4% and 45.8% for men, and 48.2% and 55.0% for women. Larger differences were found for chronic low back problems, and activity limitation and use of health services due to low back problems. More than one-third of those who were disabled were so because of low back problems. When those unable to work because of disability (work disabled) were excluded, the prevalence and consequences of low back pain were still higher in the non-working group in comparison with the working population. Most of the non-working women were housewives and this group was both large in size and had a high prevalence of low back problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Among the men studied, more than a quarter of the total burden of low back problems in those aged 20-59 y were found in the non-working population, among women this was 50%. Both research on causes and determinants of low back pain and the development of preventive actions--now being extensively focused on the working population--should also be translated to the non-working population.