title: The association between musculoskeletal disorders and obesity.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the association between musculoskeletal disorders and the level of obesity (as defined by the body mass index) for a sample of the Australian population aged 20-64. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between musculoskeletal disorders and obesity, controlling for a range of socio-demographic characteristics. Individual-level data on obesity, musculoskeletal disorders, and various socio-demographic characteristics were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 1995 National Health Survey (NHS). Individuals with musculoskeletal disorders were identified using ICD-9 codes 710-739 from a sample of 28,376 individuals from the non-institutionalised population. Estimates from the logistic regression equation indicate that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the probability of having a musculoskeletal disorder and the level of obesity. Socio-demographic variables such as age, sex, origin, income level, employment status and geographic location also had a statistically significant relationship. This information can be used by public health practitioners and educators to identify those at risk and to design health strategies that target at-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Research and Analysis Section, Information and Research Branch, Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kortt
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baldry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment