Multi‐site pain and working conditions as predictors of work ability in a 4‐year follow‐up among food industry employees. (3rd August 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Neupane, S.; Virtanen, P.; Leino‐Arjas, P.; Miranda, H.; Siukola, A.; Nygård, C.‐H.
• Is Part Of: European journal of pain. Volume 17:Number 3(2013)
• Page Start: 444
• Page End: 451
• Publication Date: 2012-08-03
• Subjects: Pain -- Periodicals; Pain -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Pain -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; 616.0472
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00198.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1090-3801

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="ejp198-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>We investigated the separate and joint effects of multi‐site musculoskeletal pain and physical and psychosocial exposures at work on future work ability.</p> </sec> <sec id="ejp198-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>A survey was conducted among employees of a Finnish food industry company in 2005 (<italic>n</italic> = 1201) and a follow‐up survey in 2009 (<italic>n</italic> = 734). Information on self‐assessed work ability (current work ability on a scale from 0 to 10; 7 = poor work ability), multi‐site musculoskeletal pain (pain in at least two anatomical areas of four), leisure‐time physical activity, body mass index and physical and psychosocial exposures was obtained by questionnaire. The separate and joint effects of multi‐site pain and work exposures on work ability at follow‐up, among subjects with good work ability at baseline, were assessed by logistic regression, and <italic>p</italic>‐values for the interaction derived.</p> </sec> <sec id="ejp198-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Compared with subjects with neither multi‐site pain nor adverse work exposure, multi‐site pain at baseline increased the risk of poor work ability at follow‐up, allowing for age, gender, occupational class, body mass index and leisure‐time physical activity. The separate effects of the work exposures on work ability were somewhat smaller than those of multi‐site pain. Multi‐site pain had an interactive effect with work environment and awkward postures, such that no association of multi‐site pain with poor work ability was seen when work environment was poor or awkward postures present.</p> </sec> <sec id="ejp198-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>The decline in work ability connected with multi‐site pain was not increased by exposure to adverse physical or psychosocial factors at work.</p> </sec> </abstract>