The effects of shift work and interaction between shift work and overweight/obesity on low back pain in nurses: results from a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether shift work is a risk factor for low back pain (LBP) and the interaction effects of shift work and overweight/obesity on LBP over time among nurses.


METHODS
A longitudinal study over 2 years. Measurements included reported LBP, shift work status, and selected potential confounders.


RESULTS
Among 928 LBP-free nurses at baseline, 319 (34.4%) developed LBP over 2 years. After adjusting for confounders, shift workers were 1.15 times more likely to develop LBP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 1.40; P = 0.03). The interaction analysis showed that overweight/obese shift workers were more likely to develop LBP than day workers (overweight: aOR, 1.23 vs aOR, 1.03, respectively; obesity: aOR, 1.34 vs aOR, 1.10, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that shift workers are at a higher risk of developing LBP over time, especially those who are overweight/obese.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. i.zhao@uq.edu.au
Isabella
I
Zhao
Fiona
F
Bogossian
Catherine
C
Turner
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D055815:Young Adult