Chronic back pain and its association with quality of life in a large French population survey

Mathilde Husky (1, 2) , Farina Ferdous Farin (3) , Philippe Compagnone (4) , Christophe Fermanian (3, 5, 6, 7) , Viviane Kovess-Masféty (3, 7)

1 Laboratoire de psychologie:Santé et qualité de vie
2 BPH - Bordeaux population health
3 EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP]
4 UB - Université de Bordeaux
5 METIS - Département Méthodes quantitatives en santé publique
6 REPERES - Recherche en Pharmaco-épidémiologie et Recours aux Soins
7 LPPS - EA 4057 - Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé

Background: Chronic back pain is associated with significant burden, yet few epidemiological studies have provided data on chronic back pain, its predictors and correlates in France. Methods: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted in France (n = 17,249) using computer-assisted telephone interviews. Sample age ranges from 18 to 98 with a mean of 46.39 years (SD = 17.44), and was 56.7% female. Medical conditions were assessed using the CIDI, quality of life was assessed using both the physical and mental component scores of the SF-36. Results: Overall, 38.3% of adults reported chronic back pain. Female gender, older age, lower education, manual labor occupation, and population density were significantly associated with the distribution of chronic back pain. Chronic back pain was associated with lower scores on all SF-36 mean scores and on the Physical Composite Score and Mental Composite Score controlling for comorbid medical conditions including other types of chronic pain. Conclusion: The study highlights the burden of chronic back pain in the general population and underscores its correlation with quality of life. Such data contribute to raise awareness among clinicians and health policy makers on the necessity of prevention, early diagnosis, proper management and rehabilitation policies in order to minimize the burden associated with chronic pain.

Mots clés: Chronic pain; Back pain; Epidemiology; Quality of life; France; Population survey

Domaines: Santé publique et épidémiologie; Rhumatologie et système ostéo-articulaire

Mathilde Husky, Farina Ferdous Farin, Philippe Compagnone, Christophe Fermanian, Viviane Kovess-Masféty. Chronic back pain and its association with quality of life in a large French population survey. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2018, 16 (195), 9p. ⟨10.1186/s12955-018-1018-4⟩. ⟨hal-02461707⟩