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Working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and chronic pain: a cross-sectional analysis of the Tromso Study.

ABSTRACT: AIM:The 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). METHODS:We 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. RESULTS:779 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. CONCLUSION:Working 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.

SUBMITTER: Farbu EH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6858151 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and chronic pain: a cross-sectional analysis of the Tromsø Study.

Farbu Erlend Hoftun EH Skandfer Morten M Nielsen Christopher C Brenn Tormod T Stubhaug Audun A Höper Anje Christina AC

BMJ open 20191111 11

<h4>Aim</h4>The 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).<h4>Methods</h4>We 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 pa ...[more]

PMID: 31719082

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Project description: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 measureIn 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 numberNCT03634410.

Dataset Information

Working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and chronic pain: a cross-sectional analysis of the Tromso Study.

Publications

Working in a cold environment, feeling cold at work and chronic pain: a cross-sectional analysis of the Tromsø Study.

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