A cohort study was conducted in Montreal (1988--1992) to test whether working in home care as a home maker entails a higher risk of developing low back pain than working in long term care hospitals as a nursing aide; and to investigate which risk factors may contribute to low back pain. Data from 978 self-administered questionnaires were analysed. Home makers suffered more than nursing aides from low back pain attributed to work. The adjusted odds ratios for home makers were: 1.63 (95% CI = 1.03--2.58) for a first episode of low back pain during 1998--1992, 2.43 (95% CI = 1.05--5.60) for disabling low back pain in 1992, 1.51 (95% CI = 1.13--2.02) for ever having low back pain as of 1992. The study subjects were divided into two cohorts, incident (newly hired persons during 1988--1992) and prevalent (at work in 1988 and in 1992). There was an excess risk of low back pain in the incident cohort; none in the prevalent cohort. The risk of low back pain was shown to decrease with increasing age, help to move patients, adequate equipment in the bedrooms, sufficient space in the bathrooms of patients. The risk increased with convalescent post-op patients, transfers of patients, seniority greater than 5 years, delivery of children, need of a patient-lift. Disabling low back pain could be reduced by introducing the following preventive measures: adequate bedroom equipment, help to move patients, training, sufficient space in the bathrooms, less transfers of patients.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.36020 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Hamd, Dina H. |
| Contributors | Theriault, Gilles (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Occupational Health.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001681020, proquestno: NQ55339, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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