Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 53, Issue 3 , Pages 245-250, March 2000

Back pain and obesity in the 1958 British birth cohort:

cause or effect?

  • Julie K Lake

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
    • ,
  • Chris Power

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +44 171 242 9789, ext. 2106; fax: 44 171 242 2723
    • ,
  • Tim J Cole

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK

Received 19 May 1999; received in revised form 27 May 1999; accepted 21 July 1999.

Abstract 

An association between obesity and back pain has been observed, but the underlying causal direction is uncertain. We examined the temporal sequence among back pain, BMI, and weight gain using data from the 1958 British birth cohort followed to age 33 (4395 men and 4468 women). Heights and weights were measured at ages 7 and 33, and self-reported at age 23. Back pain was classified as: chronic, incident, early onset but recovered, and never. Those with chronic pain gained more weight between ages 23 and 33 than those with no pain, significantly for women (7.39 kg vs. 6.29 kg). Women who were obese at age 23 years had an elevated risk of subsequent back pain onset (32–33 years) (adjusted OR = 1.78). No significant relationships were found for men. The risk of pain onset among women was evident in relation to BMI at baseline (age 23) and cannot therefore be explained by an effect of back pain on adiposity.

Keywords:  Back pain, Obesity, Weight gain, BMI, Longitudinal study

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PII: S0895-4356(99)00155-9

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 53, Issue 3 , Pages 245-250, March 2000

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