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Sex differences in the change in health-related quality of life associated with low back pain

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Abstract

Purpose

To examine the sex differences in the impact of low back pain (LBP) on health-related quality of life among community-dwelling persons from a nationwide sample.

Methods

Our analysis enrolled 2,358 participants from among 3,477 randomly selected subjects in Japan. The cumulative days each individual experienced LBP were prospectively measured over 1 month. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) in the Short Form 8-item Health Survey were evaluated before and after the study period. Sex differences in the impact of the cumulative number of LBP days on PCS and MCS scores were evaluated using linear regression analysis.

Results

Among the 2,170 participants with complete data, the prevalence of LBP in women (32%) was higher than that in men (25%) during the study period. One-day increases in LBP days were associated with greater decreases in PCS scores among men than among women (−0.72 vs. −0.29, sex difference P < 0.001). In contrast, no relationship was noted between the number of LBP days and the change in MCS score for either sex after adjustment.

Conclusions

Although a greater incidence of LBP was noted in women, health-related quality of life was more seriously affected in men with the same number of days with LBP in the month.

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Abbreviations

LBP:

Low back pain

HRQOL:

Health-related quality of life

HDS:

Health Diary Study

SF-8:

Medical Outcome Study Short Form 8-item Health Survey

PCS:

Physical health component summary

MCS:

Mental health component summary

LOWESS:

Locally weighted scatter plot smoothing

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Acknowledgments

The Health Diary Study was supported by a research grant from the St. Luke’s Life Science Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 4-7-18 Tomogoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan

    Rei Ono

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Health Care Research, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Rei Ono & Shunichi Fukuhara

  3. Department of Public Health/Health Policy, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Takahiro Higashi

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, St. Luke’s International Hospital, 9-1 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan

    Osamu Takahashi

  5. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan

    Yasuharu Tokuda

  6. Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan

    Takuro Shimbo

  7. Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, Tokyo Women’s Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1 Kawata-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan

    Hiroyoshi Endo

  8. St. Luke’s Life Science Institute, St. Luke’s International Hospital, 10-1 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0044, Japan

    Shigeaki Hinohara & Tsuguya Fukui

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  1. Rei Ono
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  2. Takahiro Higashi
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  3. Osamu Takahashi
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  4. Yasuharu Tokuda
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  5. Takuro Shimbo
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  8. Tsuguya Fukui
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  9. Shunichi Fukuhara
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Correspondence to Rei Ono.

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Ono, R., Higashi, T., Takahashi, O. et al. Sex differences in the change in health-related quality of life associated with low back pain. Qual Life Res 21, 1705–1711 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-0087-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-0087-1

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