title: Biomechanical constraints remain major risk factors for low back pain. Results from a prospective cohort study in French male employees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem, with a considerable impact on workers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To model the risk of LBP in the male general working population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated cross-sectional surveys in a wide occupational setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random sample of 2,161 men working in various occupations in a French region participated in a first survey in 2002, and 1,313 of these (60.8%) participated in a second survey in 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  The self-reported prevalence of LBP during the previous week in the second survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one biomechanical, organizational, psychosocial, and individual factors were assessed in the first survey. The association between these potential risk factors and the prevalence of later LBP (in the second survey) was studied, using multistep logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred ninety-four men reported LBP in the second survey (prevalence 30.0%). The final multivariate model highlighted four risk factors: frequent bending (odds ratio [OR], 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.97 for bending forward only; and OR, 2.13, 95% CI, 1.52-3.00 for bending both forward and sideways), driving industrial vehicles (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.00-1.81), working more hours than officially planned (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.05-1.81), and reported low support from supervisors (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02-1.79).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results emphasize that biomechanical factors remain worth considering, even when psychosocial factors are taken into account, and provide a significant contribution to preventive strategies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Department of General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France. Electronic address: aline.ramond@univ-angers.fr.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramond-Roquin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bodin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serazin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Clinical Research Centre, University Hospital of Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49933 Angers Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parot-Schinkel
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, 12 rue du Val d'Osne, 94415 Saint-Maurice Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Regional Centre for Rehabilitation of Angers, rue des Capucins, B.P. 40329, 49103 Angers Cedex 02, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49933 Angers Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petit Le Manach
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Department of Occupational Health, French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, 12 rue du Val d'Osne, 94415 Saint-Maurice Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Natacha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fouquet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers, Rue Haute de Reculée, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France; Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49933 Angers Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Roquelaure
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016474:Weight-Bearing
keywords: Cohort studies; Logistic models; Low back pain; Occupational health; Risk factors