BACKGROUND

Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain according to sites of pain and associated factors in the community has not been thoroughly documented. The association between pain and socioeconomic position has been studied by several authors, but without details in most studies regarding sites of pain, whereas the relations with social position could differ according to the site of pain. The objective of this study was to explore these differences in the community in France.

METHODS

The national Health and Occupational History survey was conducted in France in 2006 in subjects aged 20-74 years. Self-assessment of pain at various sites in the previous year was recorded. Five sites were considered here: back, neck, shoulder, upper limb, and lower limb. After a description of prevalence according to gender and age, the associations with socioeconomic position at the beginning of the subjects' working life, in seven categories, were studied with logistic models adjusted for age. The analyses were limited to those aged 30-74 years and were conducted separately for men and women.

RESULTS

Of the 5520 males and 6643 females studied, prevalence was the highest for back pain (35% for males, 37% for females). Pain was globally more frequent for women. For all sites of pain an increase with age was significant for women. This was not observed in men for back pain (highest prevalence in the 40- to 49-year-old age group) or neck pain. Overall, prevalence of pain was the lowest for professionals (reference category in the analyses). For males, the first occupation as a farmer or blue-collar worker was associated with an increased prevalence for most sites of pain, with odds ratios close to 2. For females, prevalence was increased for more socioeconomic categories, as compared to professionals. Among the five sites, neck pain was an exception: for both men and women, no association was observed between neck pain and socioeconomic position.

CONCLUSION

Although exploratory, these results are consistent with the available knowledge on occupational and personal risk factors for pain, which differ according to the site of pain. Other studies are needed to better understand the causal mechanisms underlying the associations observed.