278
Views
29
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Risk Factors for Low Back Injury Among Farmers in Iowa: A Case-Control Study Nested in the Agricultural Health Study

, , , , , , , & show all
Pages 10-16 | Published online: 07 Apr 2011
 

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess risk factors for low back injury requiring medical advice or treatment among Iowa farmers. Although farmers are at risk for low back injury, few studies have addressed risk factors for farm work-related low back injury. We screened 6999 participants in the Iowa portion of the Agricultural Health Study to identify 49 male farmers who reported farm work-related low back injury requiring medical advice or treatment in the previous year. We compared them with 465 uninjured male farmer controls. Multivariable modeling identified four risk factors significantly associated with low back injury: age less than 45 years (OR = 3.32; 95% CI 1.75–6.20), doctor-diagnosed asthma (OR = 4.26; 95% CI 1.49–12.10), education beyond high school (OR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.13–3.90), and difficulty hearing normal conversation (even with a hearing aid, in the case of those using one) (OR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.02–3.80). Although hearing difficulty may be a general risk factor for occupational injury, asthma may be a more specific risk factor for low back injury. Future research to assess the risk factors, asthma and difficulty hearing, may be particularly important, since farmers are at increased risk for hearing loss, and farmers come into contact with many inhaled agents that can cause asthma.

Notes

AFor variables in bold, their age-adjusted confidence interval does not include 1.00.

BAge-adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval.

AFor variables in bold, their age-adjusted confidence interval does not include 1.00.

B Each odds ratio has been adjusted for all other independent variables in the table.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.