Guo H-R
Graduate Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health, Medical College, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
Occup Environ Med. 2002 Oct;59(10):680-8. doi: 10.1136/oem.59.10.680.
Back pain is the most common reason for filing workers' compensation claims in the United States and affects large numbers of workers in many other countries. To evaluate the associations between working hours spent on repeated activities and back pain, data gathered through the 1988 National Health Interview Survey were analysed. The data were also used to identify high risk occupations.
A total of 30 074 workers participated in the survey. They were asked to provide information on their job, including the time spent on repeated strenuous physical activities (RSPA) and the time spent on repeated bending, twisting, or reaching (RBTR) on a typical job. A case of back pain was defined as a worker who had back pain every day for a week or more during the past 12 months. Each case was asked to report the cause of back pain. Those who attributed their back pain to repeated activities (RA) or a single accident or injury (AI) were asked to recall whether they performed RA or had the AI at work.
Whereas the prevalence of back pain increased as the number of working hours spent on RSPA or RBTR increased, the dose-response relations were not linear for either factor, suggesting the involvement of other unmeasured factors. The estimated overall prevalence of RA back pain was 8.9% among male workers and 5.9% among female workers. "Carpenters" had the highest prevalence (19.2%) and most cases (338 000) among the major occupations of men, and "nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants" had the highest prevalence (15.2%) and most cases (217 000) among the major occupations of women.
The number of hours spent on repeated activities at work was associated with the prevalence of back pain. This study identified high risk occupations for future research and intervention.
背痛是美国工人提出工伤赔偿申请的最常见原因，在许多其他国家也影响着大量工人。为评估从事重复性活动的工作时长与背痛之间的关联，对通过1988年全国健康访谈调查收集的数据进行了分析。这些数据还用于识别高风险职业。
共有30074名工人参与了调查。他们被要求提供有关其工作的信息，包括在典型工作中花费在重复性剧烈体力活动（RSPA）上的时间以及花费在重复性弯腰、扭转或伸展（RBTR）上的时间。背痛病例定义为在过去12个月中每周有背痛且持续一周或更长时间的工人。每个病例都被要求报告背痛的原因。那些将背痛归因于重复性活动（RA）或单次事故或伤害（AI）的人被要求回忆他们是否在工作中进行了RA或遭遇了AI。
虽然随着RSPA或RBTR工作时长的增加，背痛患病率上升，但这两个因素的剂量反应关系均非线性，这表明还有其他未测量因素的参与。估计男性工人中因RA导致背痛的总体患病率为8.9%，女性工人为5.9%。在男性主要职业中，“木匠”的患病率最高（19.2%）且病例数最多（33.8万），在女性主要职业中，“护理助理、勤杂工和护理员”的患病率最高（15.2%）且病例数最多（21.7万）。
工作中从事重复性活动的时长与背痛患病率相关。本研究确定了未来研究和干预的高风险职业。
