Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Objectives: Prolonged sitting has been suggested as a risk factor for neck–shoulder pain (NSP). Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the extent to which objectively measured time sitting is associated with NSP among blue-collar workers. Methods:...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hallman, D., Gupta, N., Mathiassen, Svend, Holtermann, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Springer 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69144
_version_ 1848761978889175040
author Hallman, D.
Gupta, N.
Mathiassen, Svend
Holtermann, A.
author_facet Hallman, D.
Gupta, N.
Mathiassen, Svend
Holtermann, A.
author_sort Hallman, D.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Objectives: Prolonged sitting has been suggested as a risk factor for neck–shoulder pain (NSP). Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the extent to which objectively measured time sitting is associated with NSP among blue-collar workers. Methods: Sitting time was measured during multiple working days on male (n = 118) and female (n = 84) blue-collar workers (n = 202) using triaxial accelerometers (Actigraph) placed on the thigh and trunk. Workers were categorized into having, on average, a low, moderate or high sitting time, with mean values (SD between subjects) of 4.9 (1.0), 7.3 (0.5) and 9.6 (1.1) h in total per day. Workers rated their largest NSP intensity during the previous month on a numerical scale (0–9) and were subsequently dichotomized into a low and high NSP intensity group (ratings 0–4 and > 4, respectively). Logistic regression analyses adjusted for several individual, and work-related factors were used to investigate the association between average sitting time per day (work, leisure and total) and NSP intensity. Results: For total sitting time, workers in the high sitting category were more likely (adjusted OR 2.97, CI 1.25–7.03) to report high NSP intensity than those who sat moderately (reference category). Low sitting during work was associated with a reduced NSP intensity, but only for males (adjusted OR 0.26 CI 0.07–0.96). No significant association was found between sitting during leisure and NSP intensity. Conclusion: These findings suggest an association between sitting time, in total per day and specifically during work, and NSP intensity among blue-collar workers. We encourage studying the structure and explanation of this association further in prospective studies on larger populations.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T10:40:16Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-69144
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T10:40:16Z
publishDate 2015
publisher Springer
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-691442018-06-29T12:35:25Z Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers Hallman, D. Gupta, N. Mathiassen, Svend Holtermann, A. © 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Objectives: Prolonged sitting has been suggested as a risk factor for neck–shoulder pain (NSP). Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the extent to which objectively measured time sitting is associated with NSP among blue-collar workers. Methods: Sitting time was measured during multiple working days on male (n = 118) and female (n = 84) blue-collar workers (n = 202) using triaxial accelerometers (Actigraph) placed on the thigh and trunk. Workers were categorized into having, on average, a low, moderate or high sitting time, with mean values (SD between subjects) of 4.9 (1.0), 7.3 (0.5) and 9.6 (1.1) h in total per day. Workers rated their largest NSP intensity during the previous month on a numerical scale (0–9) and were subsequently dichotomized into a low and high NSP intensity group (ratings 0–4 and > 4, respectively). Logistic regression analyses adjusted for several individual, and work-related factors were used to investigate the association between average sitting time per day (work, leisure and total) and NSP intensity. Results: For total sitting time, workers in the high sitting category were more likely (adjusted OR 2.97, CI 1.25–7.03) to report high NSP intensity than those who sat moderately (reference category). Low sitting during work was associated with a reduced NSP intensity, but only for males (adjusted OR 0.26 CI 0.07–0.96). No significant association was found between sitting during leisure and NSP intensity. Conclusion: These findings suggest an association between sitting time, in total per day and specifically during work, and NSP intensity among blue-collar workers. We encourage studying the structure and explanation of this association further in prospective studies on larger populations. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69144 10.1007/s00420-015-1031-4 Springer restricted
spellingShingle Hallman, D.
Gupta, N.
Mathiassen, Svend
Holtermann, A.
Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title_full Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title_fullStr Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title_full_unstemmed Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title_short Association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
title_sort association between objectively measured sitting time and neck–shoulder pain among blue-collar workers
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69144