title: Risk factors of chronic neck pain: a prospective study among middle-aged employees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the associations of sociodemographic factors, working conditions, lifestyle and previous pain in the spine with new onset chronic neck pain (NP).
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were municipal employees free of chronic NP at baseline, aged 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 years (n = 5277, 80% women). Self-reported data on occupational class, working conditions, body mass index, smoking, exercise, mental well-being, sleep problems, NP and low back pain (LBP) were obtained from baseline questionnaire surveys in 2000-2002. The question on chronic NP was repeated in a follow-up in 2007. Logistic regression analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of chronic NP was 15% in women and 9% in men. In multivariable analysis among women, acute NP [odds ratio (OR) 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9-5.1], chronic LBP (1.6, 1.2-2.2), reporting current workplace bullying (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), earlier bullying at the present workplace (1.6, 1.2-2.0), and earlier bullying in another workplace (1.8, 1.3-2.4), frequent sleep problems (1.5, 1.2-2.0), overweight (1.2, 1.0-1.5), and obesity (1.4, 1.1-1.8) predicted chronic NP at follow-up. Men with acute NP (2.3, 1.4-3.8), chronic LBP (2.3, 1.2-4.3), manual occupational class (1.8, 1.1-3.1) and high work-related emotional exhaustion (1.9, 1.1-3.3) at baseline had an increased risk of new onset chronic NP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found potentially modifiable predictors of chronic NP among employees: workplace bullying, sleep problems, and high body mass index in women, and work-related emotional exhaustion in men. In both genders, previous acute NP and chronic LBP were predictive of chronic NP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. sanna-mari.kaaria@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kääriä
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laaksonen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rahkonen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lahelma
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leino-Arjas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors