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. 2014 Mar;23(3):508-11.
doi: 10.1007/s00586-013-3083-z. Epub 2013 Nov 20.

Does strenuous leisure time physical activity prevent severe back disorders leading to hospitalization?

Sanna Kääriä  1 , Juhani Kirjonen, Risto Telama, Leena Kaila-Kangas, Päivi Leino-Arjas
Affiliations

Does strenuous leisure time physical activity prevent severe back disorders leading to hospitalization?

Sanna Kääriä et al. Eur Spine J. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Study design: Prospective cohort study.

Objective: To study the associations between strenuous leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and subsequent hospitalization due to back disorders. Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors are associated with back-related hospitalization, but the significance of strenuous LTPA in the working population is unclear.

Methods: The cohort (n = 902) was drawn from among employees in the metal industry (n = 2,653). Data were collected by a questionnaire and a structured interview on LTPA. Activity regarding strenuous (>500 kcal/h) LTPA was categorized as none, some, and high. Information from national registers on hospitalizations and deaths during 28 years of follow-up was linked to the data. Cox proportional hazards regression was used.

Results: Subjects with a high level of strenuous LTPA had a decreased risk of hospitalization due to back disorders (hazard ratio 0.40; 95% CI 0.21-0.79) compared with persons with no strenuous activity, after adjustment for age and gender. The association persisted (0.48; 0.24-0.96) when further adjusted for occupational class, self-reported back diseases, smoking, and body mass index at baseline.

Conclusion: Strenuous LTPA decreased the risk of inpatient hospital care for back disorders among industrial employees.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hospital admissions with back-related diagnoses in 1973–2000 by the levels of strenuous leisure time physical activity at baseline. Survival function
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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