ArticleArchives of gerontology and geriatrics
Moderate or severe low back pain is associated with body mass index amongst community-dwelling older Australians.
Article in Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of obesity with musculoskeletal health and functional mobility in females-a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Association between pain intensity and body composition in adults with chronic non-specific low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults: A meta-analysis.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- The shifting global landscape of low Back pain attributable to high body mass index: Burden, growth, and inequalities.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- The burden, trends, and projections of low back pain attributable to high body mass index globally: an analysis of the global burden of disease study from 1990 to 2021 and projections to 2050.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Severe low back or lower limb pain is associated with recurrent falls among older Australians.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2022Article
- Evaluation of the Pain Impact Index for Community-Dwelling Older Adults Through the Application of Rasch Modelling.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveLow back pain is prevalent in older populations and modifiable risk factors may include being overweight or obese. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and impact of moderate or severe low back pain in community-dwelling older adults and its association with body mass index (BMI).
methodsCross-sectional study involving 16,439 Australians aged ≥70 years. Logistic regression was used to describe associations between the presence or absence of moderate or severe low back pain experienced on most days with BMI. Analyses were conducted separately for males and females, and controlled for age and depression at baseline.
resultsOf 14,155 pain question respondents, 11 % of males (n = 710/6475) and 18 % of females (n = 1391/7680) reported moderate or severe low back pain (total 15 %, n = 2101/14,155). Of those reporting moderate or severe low back pain (n = 2101), 55 % reported taking pain-relieving medication regularly, and 29 % reported that the pain regularly interfered with sleep, 37 % with walking, and 47 % with day to day activities. When age and depression were controlled for, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) association between moderate or severe low back pain and being overweight (females: odds ratio OR = 1.50, 95 % confidence interval CI = 1.27-1.76) or obese (males: OR = 2.23, 95 %CI = 1.77-2.80 and females: OR = 2.91, 95 %CI = 2.48-3.42).
conclusionModerate or severe low back pain is common, has a significant impact, and is associated with either an overweight or obese BMI among community-dwelling Australians aged ≥70 years.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.