Lage Burström1, Håkan Jonsson2, Bodil Björ3, Ulla Hjalmarsson3, Tohr Nilsson3, Christina Reuterwall3, Jens Wahlström3. 1. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå SE-901 87, Sweden. Electronic address: lage.burstrom@umu.se. 2. Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå SE-901 87, Sweden. 3. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå SE-901 87, Sweden.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a method for collecting data concerning low back pain (LBP) using daily text messages and to characterize the reported LBP in terms of intensity, variability, and episodes. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a cohort study of LBP among workers used by a mining company. The participants were asked to answer the question "How much pain have you had in your lower back in the last 24 hours on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain imaginable" once a day for 5 weeks, with this process being repeated 6 months later. RESULTS: A total of 121 workers participated in the first period of data collection, and 108 participated in the second period. The daily response rate was 93% for both periods, and cluster analysis was shown to be a feasible statistical method for clustering LBP into subgroups of low, medium, and high pain. The daily text messages method also worked well for assessing the episodic nature of LBP. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated a method for repeatedly measuring of LBP using daily text messages. The data permitted clustering into subgroups and could be used to define episodes of LBP.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a method for collecting data concerning low back pain (LBP) using daily text messages and to characterize the reported LBP in terms of intensity, variability, and episodes. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a cohort study of LBP among workers used by a mining company. The participants were asked to answer the question "How much pain have you had in your lower back in the last 24 hours on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain imaginable" once a day for 5 weeks, with this process being repeated 6 months later. RESULTS: A total of 121 workers participated in the first period of data collection, and 108 participated in the second period. The daily response rate was 93% for both periods, and cluster analysis was shown to be a feasible statistical method for clustering LBP into subgroups of low, medium, and high pain. The daily text messages method also worked well for assessing the episodic nature of LBP. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated a method for repeatedly measuring of LBP using daily text messages. The data permitted clustering into subgroups and could be used to define episodes of LBP.
Authors: Charlotte Diana Nørregaard Rasmussen; Kristina Karstad; Karen Søgaard; Reiner Rugulies; Alex Burdorf; Andreas Holtermann Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-08-20 Impact factor: 3.390