Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37833070›Full record

ArticleOccupational and environmental medicine2023

Effects of consecutive workdays and days off on low back pain, fatigue and stress: prospective cohort study among warehouse and construction workers.

Rúni Bláfoss, Per Aagaard, Thomas Clausen, Lars L Andersen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Occupational and environmental medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rúni BláfossNational Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark rub@nfa.dk.ORCID 0000-0003-1843-6884
Per AagaardResearch Unit for Muscle Physiology and Clinical Biomechanics, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9773-7361
Thomas ClausenNational Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lars L AndersenNational Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesLimited knowledge exists about day-to-day changes in physical and mental symptoms in warehouse and construction workers. This study investigated the associations between consecutive workdays and days off with low back pain (LBP) intensity, bodily fatigue and mental stress.

methodsParticipants (n=224) received daily questions for 21 days about LBP, fatigue, stress (outcome, 0-10 scales), and workdays and days off (exposure). We tested associations between 1-3 workdays (n=148) and 1-2 days off (n=158) with LBP intensity, bodily fatigue and mental stress after work and the following morning using linear mixed models with repeated measures controlling for relevant confounders.

resultsConsecutive workdays led to progressively increased LBP intensity, with three workdays increasing LBP intensity by 1.76 (95% CI 1.48 to 2.03) points. Bodily fatigue and mental stress increased after one workday (2.06 (95% CI 1.80 to 2.32) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.17) points, respectively) and remained stable for three workdays. After 1 day off, bodily fatigue and mental stress decreased -1.82 (95% CI -2.03 to -1.61) and -0.88 (95% CI -1.05 to -0.71) points, respectively, without decreasing further. In contrast, LBP intensity decreased progressively -1.09 (95% CI -1.27 to -0.91) and -1.45 (95% CI -1.67 to -1.24) points after 1 and 2 days off, respectively.

conclusionsWorkdays and days off affected the outcome variables differently. LBP intensity progressively increased with consecutive workdays, while workers needed 2 days off to recover. This study provides valuable knowledge about how to organise the workweek to prevent LBP, fatigue and stress, potentially reducing labour market withdrawal.

Indexed as

Construction IndustryLow Back PainOccupational DiseasesFatigueHumansOccupationsProspective StudiesBack PainFatigueOccupational HealthOccupational StressWorkload

Identifiers

PMID37833070
PMCPMC10646918

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Registered trials

None linked

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.