Are people with chronic low back pain meeting the physical activity guidelines? A co-twin control study.
Despite a large amount of research investigating physical activity (PA) levels in people with chronic low back pain (LBP), no study has investigated whether people with chronic LBP are meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines. Furthermore, with genetics and the early shared environment substantially influencing the presence of LBP and PA engagement, these factors could confound the association between LBP and PA and need to be controlled for.



This study aimed to investigate the association between chronic LBP and meeting the PA guidelines, while controlling for the effects of genetics and early shared environment.



This is a cross-sectional co-twin control study.



A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 1,588 twins from the Murcia Twin Registry in Spain with available data on LBP and PA from the 2013 data collection wave.



The exposure and outcome variables in our study were self-reported. Twins reporting a history of chronic LBP were asked follow-up questions to inform on the presence of recent LBP (within the past 4 weeks), previous LBP (no pain within the past 4 weeks), and persistent LBP (no pain-free month in the last 6 months). These were our exposure variables. Our outcome variable was meeting the WHO PA guidelines, which involved at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity PA, or at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity PA per week.



To investigate the association between chronic LBP and meeting the PA guidelines, we first performed a multivariate logistic regression on the total sample of twins. Co-variables entered the model if the univariate association between the co-variable, and both the exposure and the outcome reached a significance of p<.2. Second, to adjust for the influence of genetics and early shared environment, we performed a conditional multivariate logistic regression on complete twin pairs discordant for LBP. The Murcia Twin Registry is supported by Fundación Séneca, Regional Agency for Science and Technology, Murcia, Spain (08633/PHCS/08 and 15302/PHCS/10) and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (PSI11560-2009). Funding for this project has also been received from Fundación MAPFRE (2012). The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.



There was a significant inverse association between recent LBP and meeting the PA guidelines (odds ratio [OR]=0.71, p=.034). When controlling for genetics and early shared environment, this association disappeared. There was no association between previous (OR=0.95, p=.779) or persistent LBP (OR=0.78, p=.192) and meeting the PA guidelines.



Twins with recent LBP are less likely to meet the PA guidelines than those with no history of chronic LBP, highlighting the importance of incorporating PA promotion in the treatment of these individuals. Genetics and early shared environment appear to be confounding the association between LBP and PA, although this needs to be further tested in larger twin samples.
Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East St, Lidcombe, New South Wales, 2141, Australia. Electronic address: jzad3326@uni.sydney.edu.au.
Joshua Robert
JR
Zadro
Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East St, Lidcombe, New South Wales, 2141, Australia.
Debra
D
Shirley
Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East St, Lidcombe, New South Wales, 2141, Australia.
Anita
A
Amorim
Murcia Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Ronda de Levante, 11, 30008, Murcia, Spain; Murcia Institute for Biomedical Research, IMIB-Arrixaca, HCUVA Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30120, Murcia, Spain.
Francisco
F
Pérez-Riquelme
Murcia Institute for Biomedical Research, IMIB-Arrixaca, HCUVA Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30120, Murcia, Spain; Murcia Twin Registry, Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
Juan R
JR
Ordoñana
Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East St, Lidcombe, New South Wales, 2141, Australia.
Paulo H
PH
Ferreira
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014427:Twins
Early shared environment; Genetics; Low back pain; Murcia Twin Registry; Physical activity guidelines; Twin study