A closer examination of the interaction among risk factors for low back pain

Purpose. To evaluate the interactions of risk factors and identify their most powerful discrimination pathway for the occurrence of low back pain (LBP). Design. A cross-sectional study. Setting. Taiwan. Subjects. Taiwanese population of 30 to 64 years old. Measures. A self-reported question, ''Have you experienced LBP within the last 3 months?'' was used to evaluate LBP. The study variables included demographics (age, gender, occupation, education level, marital status, and household income), biometric health measures (bone mineral density and body mass index), dietary habits (weekly milk, coffee, tea, and soybean consumption), and other lifestyle factors (smoking habits, alcohol consumption, betel nut chewing, body weight control, exercise regularity, and stress management). Analysis. Logistic regression and classification tree analyses. Results. A total of 969 Taiwanese participants were analyzed. Primary logistic regression analysis identified three critical risk factors (gender, bone mineral density, and exercise regularity) for the occurrence of LBP. By classification tree analysis, demographic factors, dietary habits, and lifestyle factors had modifying effects on LBP. Conclusions. Various factors contribute to the risk of LBP. Interactions between risk factors should be considered when developing future strategies for the prevention and management of LBP.