Work is a risk factor for adolescent musculoskeletal pain.
The study objectives were to determine the incidence of musculoskeletal pain in a cohort of adolescents and whether work is a risk factor for its development. 502 students in the seventh to ninth grades responded to a questionnaire at three times over a 12-month period, addressing musculoskeletal health and lifestyle factors. Annual incidence of musculoskeletal pain was 38%. Adolescents who worked developed pain more than those who did not work (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96, 2.76). Those who worked in white-collar jobs were at a higher risk of developing pain than those in blue-collar jobs or childcare. The conclusion that work is associated with musculoskeletal pain development in adolescents implies that implementation of prevention strategies in the workplace should include adolescents who work.
Feldman
Debbie Ehrmann
DE
Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en santé, école de réadaptation, département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. debbie.feldman@umontreal.ca
Shrier
Ian
I
Rossignol
Michel
M
Abenhaim
Lucien
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016272:Occupational Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work