The incidence of low back pain (LBP) is increasing and prognostic factors for developing LBP are unclear. Based on questionnaires, different prognostic factors are being explored over time.
Despite massive efforts of trying to find predictors and prevention for LBP, it remains to be clarified, why some individuals develop severely disabling low back pain while others never experience noteworthy back pain. There is no evidence that numbers of chronically affected individuals have diminished; rather, the incidence of LBP has increased continuously over the last 20 years which is also reflected in rising numbers of lumbar surgical treatments. The prevalence and burden increase with age and prevention of LBP in an aging population seems more urgent than ever. As LBP is undoubtedly a multifaceted disorder that tends to fluctuate throughout life, there is a need for longitudinal research, exploring the effect of both life style and psychosocial factors on the development of chronic low back pain. The aim of this study is to identify whether a history of low back pain during adolescence represents an increased risk of experiencing low back pain later in life.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
607
Questionnaire mainly focusing on low back pain, pain related disorders, psychosocial factors and the use of alternative treatments for pain
The Parker Institute, Frederiksberg Hospital
Copenhagen, Denmark
prevalence of LBP
To estimate the prevalence of self-disclosed low back pain
Time frame: measured once at study baseline
Incidence of LBP
To estimate the incidence of self-disclosed low back pain
Time frame: measured once at study baseline
Brief illness perception questionnaire (IPQ-B)
Actual IPQ-B score. Generic questionnaire developed to measure illness perception. The IPQ-B contains eight items and one causal scale. Items 1-8 are rated using a 0-to-10 response scale, item 9 is a memo field. Five of the items assess cognitive illness representations: consequences (Item 1), timeline (Item 2), personal control (Item 3), treatment control (Item 4), and identity (Item 5). Two of the items assess emotional representations: concern (Item 6) and emotions (Item 8). One item assesses illness comprehensibility (Item 7). A low score on items number 1,2,5,6 and 8 indicates that the illness is perceived as benign while a low score on the items 3, 4 and 7 indicates that the illness is perceived as threatening. By reversing these three items it is possible to compute an overall score. A higher score reflects a more threatening view of the illness.
Time frame: measured once at study baseline
EQ-5D (3 likert scale)
The EQ-5D-3L essentially consists of the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) (0-100). The EQ-5D-3L descriptive system comprises the following 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 3 levels: no problems, some problems, extreme problems. The EQ VAS records the respondent's self-rated health on a vertical, visual analogue scale where the endpoints are labelled 'Best imaginable health state' (100) and 'Worst imaginable health state' (0). This information can be used as a quantitative measure of health outcome as judged by the individual respondents. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state.
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Time frame: measured once at study baseline