ArticleBMJ open2019
Working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and chronic pain: a cross-sectional analysis of the Tromsø Study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Relationship of Healthy Building Determinants With Back and Neck Pain: A Systematic Review.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Lack of guidelines for cold exposure among vulnerable outdoor workers.International journal of circumpolar health · 2026Review
- Prevalence of Chronic Pain and Associated Factors Among Nursing Students in Heilongjiang Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Comparison of socioeconomic and psychosocial profiles between Brazilian and Swedish women with temporomandibular disorders.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Thermal comfort, health, and performance effects among outdoor workers in northern Sweden.Annals of work exposures and health · 2026Article
- Impact of cold exposure on shift working seafood handlers in Northern Norway: a comparative analysis across work shifts.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2025Article
- Bone Modelling and Remodelling in Cold Environment.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Article
- Association between the telecommuting environment and somatic symptoms among teleworkers in Japan.Journal of occupational health · 2024Article
- Relationship of Healthy Building Determinants With Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Extremities: A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2023Review
- Occupational cold exposure is associated with upper extremity pain.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Experimental Models for Cold Exposure of MuscleBio-protocol · 2022Article
- Cold exposure and musculoskeletal conditions; A scoping review.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
- Is working in a cold environment associated with musculoskeletal complaints 7-8 years later? A longitudinal analysis from the Tromsø Study.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimThe aim of this study was to investigate if working in a cold environment and feeling cold at work are associated with chronic pain (ie, lasting ≥3 months).
methodsWe used data from the sixth survey (2007-2008) of the Tromsø Study. Analyses included 6533 men and women aged 30-67 years who were not retired, not receiving full-time disability benefits and had no missing values. Associations between working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and self-reported chronic pain were examined with logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, insomnia, physical activity at work, leisure time physical activity and smoking.
results779 participants reported working in a cold environment ≥25% of the time. This exposure was positively associated with pain at ≥3 sites (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.01) and with neck, shoulder and leg pain, but not with pain at 1-2 sites. Feeling cold sometimes or often at work was associated with pain at ≥3 sites (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.22 to 2.07 and OR 3.90; 95% CI 2.04 to 7.45, respectively). Feeling cold often at work was significantly and positively associated with pain at all sites except the hand, foot, stomach and head.
conclusionWorking in a cold environment was significantly associated with chronic pain. The observed association was strongest for pain at musculoskeletal sites and for those who often felt cold at work.
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Registered trials
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