title: Epidemiology of back pain in a representative cohort of Italian persons 65 years of age and older: the InCHIANTI study.
abstract: METHODS
  Clinico-epidemiologic study in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe prevalence and correlates of back pain in a representative sample of the population.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Back pain is common in old age and is related to functional limitations, but back pain characteristics and correlates in older adults, which may be targeted by specific interventions, are still underinvestigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,299 persons aged 65 or older were selected from the city registry of Greve in Chianti and Bagno a Ripoli; 1,008 (565 women; 443 men) were included in this analysis. Back pain in the past 12 months was ascertained using a questionnaire. Potential correlates of back pain were identified in age- and sex-adjusted regression analyses, and their independent association with back pain was tested in a multivariate model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of frequent back pain was 31.5%. Back pain was reported less often by men and the very old, was primarily located in the dorsolumbar and lumbar spine, was moderate in intensity and mainly elicited by carrying, lifting, and pushing heavy objects. Among participants who reported frequent back pain, 76.3% had no back pain-related impairments; 7.4% of the overall study population had back pain-related functional limitation. Back pain participants were significantly more likely to report difficulty in heavy household chores, carrying a shopping bag, cutting toenails, and using public transportation. Limited trunk extension, depression, low levels of prior-year physical activity, and hip, knee, and foot pain were independent correlates of back pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequent back pain is highly prevalent in the older population and is often associated with conditions that are potentially reversible.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Institute for Recovery and Care with Scientific Character, Centro S. Maria agli Ulivi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Debolini
authors.forename: Raffaello Molino
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lova
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bandinelli
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bartali
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauretani
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires