ArticleBMJ open2020
Do the associations of body mass index and waist circumference with back pain change as people age? 32 years of follow-up in a British birth cohort.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Associations between lifestyle-related risk factors and back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Associated Factors and Latent Patterns of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Digestive Endoscopy Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of central pain sensitization in chronic low back pain and its utility in diagnosis and prediction of clinical severity.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- [The connection between back pain and obesity].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Pain and diet: A summary of the evidence for the role of diet modification in chronic pain.British journal of pain · 2024Article
- Association between waist circumference and chronic pain: insights from observational study and two-sample Mendelian randomization.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- MODERATING EFFECT OF BODY HEIGHT ON THE ASSOCIATION OF BODY WEIGHT AND DISABILITY CAUSED BY NON SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN WOMEN AND MEN.Acta clinica Croatica · 2022Article
- Back pain: An aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic? A Malta perspective.Musculoskeletal care · 2022Article
- Adult sports-related traumatic spinal injuries: do different activities predispose to certain injuries?Journal of neurosurgery. Spine · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate whether cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with back pain change with age and extend into later life.
designBritish birth cohort study.
settingEngland, Scotland and Wales.
participantsUp to 3426 men and women from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Back pain (sciatica, lumbago or recurring/severe backache all or most of the time) was self-reported during nurse interviews at ages 36, 43, 53 and 60-64 years and in a postal questionnaire using a body manikin at age 68.
resultsFindings from mixed-effects logistic regression models indicated that higher BMI was consistently associated with increased odds of back pain across adulthood. Sex-adjusted ORs of back pain per 1 SD increase in BMI were: 1.13 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.26), 1.11 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.23), 1.17 (95% CI: 1.05 to 1.30), 1.31 (95% CI: 1.15 to 1.48) and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.95 to 1.24) at ages 36, 43, 53, 60-64 and 68-69, respectively. Similar patterns of associations were observed for WC. These associations were maintained when potential confounders, including education, occupational class, height, cigarette smoking status, physical activity and symptoms of anxiety and depression were accounted for. BMI showed stronger associations than WC in models including both measures.
conclusionsThese findings demonstrate that higher BMI is a persistent risk factor for back pain across adulthood. This highlights the potential lifelong consequences on back pain of the rising prevalence of obesity within the population.
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