ArticleBMJ open2020
Is hard physical work in the early working life associated with back pain later in life? A cross-sectional study among 5700 older workers.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03634410 (SeniorWorkingLife), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.
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.
SeniorWorkingLife (Danish Title: SeniorArbejdsLiv)
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in the burden of low back pain attributable to occupational ergonomic factors among the global population aged 15-64 years (1990-2021): a study based on the GBD database.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Effect of manual handling weight for lifting and carrying on the severity of acute occupational low back pain.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2025Article
- 'Wait…, let me tell you, if I worked for a boss, I would be on sick leave': A Qualitative Study of Self-Employed Workers in Physically Demanding Jobs in the Netherlands.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Racial, Ethnic, and Immigrant Generational Disparities in Physically Strenuous and Hazardous Work Conditions.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2024Article
- Lower back pain amongst medical trainees in clinical rotations: implications for choosing future career regarding medical practice.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Effect of relative weight limit set as a body weight percentage on work-related low back pain among workers.PloS one · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesPhysically demanding work increases the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders during working life, with low back pain (LBP) as the most prevalent and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder worldwide. However, a lack of knowledge exists about the role of early working years on musculoskeletal health later in life. This study investigated whether an exposure-response association exists between physical demands in early working life and risk of LBP in later working life.
designCross-sectional study. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURE: In the SeniorWorkingLife study, 5909 wage earners aged ≥50 years with currently sedentary work replied to a questionnaire survey in 2018 about physical work demands during their first working years (exposure) and current LBP (outcome). Associations between physical work demands in the early working years and current LBP were modelled using general linear models controlling for various confounders, combined with model-assisted weights based on national registers.
resultsHard physical work during early working life was associated with more intense LBP later in life among senior workers with currently sedentary jobs. In the fully adjusted model, workers with 'standing/walking work with lifting/carrying' and 'heavy or fast work that is physically strenuous' during the first years of working life reported higher LBP intensity than those with sedentary work during their first working years (0.2 (95% CI, 0.0 to 0.4) and 0.6 (95% CI, 0.4 to 0.9), respectively).
conclusionWork involving lifting/carrying or work that is physically strenuous in early life is associated with higher intensity of LBP among older workers with currently sedentary employment. These findings suggest that early working life may have an impact on later working years and underscore the necessity for careful introduction and instruction to the working environment for retaining musculoskeletal health and prolonging working life. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03634410.
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