A meta-analysis of the association between physical demands of domestic labor and back pain among women

Abisola Osinuga; Chelsea Hicks; Segun E Ibitoye; Marin Schweizer; Nathan B Fethke; Kelly K Baker

doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01294-5

Back

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

A meta-analysis of the association between physical demands of domestic labor and back pain among women

Abisola Osinuga, Chelsea Hicks, Segun E Ibitoye, Marin Schweizer, Nathan B Fethke and Kelly K Baker

BMC women's health, Vol.21(1), pp.150-150

12/01/2021

DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01294-5

PMCID: PMC8045256

PMID: 33849504

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01294-5View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Background: Back pain (BP) is among the most common musculoskeletal problems globally and is a leading contributor to disability among adults. Millions of women especially those in low-income settings, engage in strenuous domestic activities that may increase their risk of BP. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the association between physically demanding domestic labor (PDDL) which is characterized as intensity, frequency, duration of work and biomechanical risk factors of work and BP among women. Methods: Five databases were searched for records published from January 1991 to March 2020; and results from 11studies were included in the meta-analysis. A random effects model and the generic inverse-variance method was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and the degree of heterogeneity among studies (I2). Stratified and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify the influence of outliers and identify the sources of heterogeneity. Results: Exposure to high PDDL was significantly associated with BP (OR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.30, 2.04; I2 = 70%). The odds of back pain were highest among the following groups: women performing domestic labor in non-neutral postures (OR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.75-3.04; I2 = 0%; N = 4 studies) and among women from low- and middle-income countries (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.58-2.49; I2 = 29%; N = 5 studies). We found no evidence of publication bias (Egger's test p-value = 0.15). Conclusions: PDDL may significantly increase a woman's risk of experiencing BP, but larger prospective studies are needed to further investigate the association. Presenting data on how domestic work affects the musculoskeletal health of women will be important in designing future interventions (behavioral, infrastructural, and ergonomic) that can reduce the burdens from domestic labor. Keywords: Back pain; Biomechanical; Domestic labor; Meta-analysis; Physical demands; Women.

Back pain

Biomechanical

Domestic labor

Meta-analysis

Physical demands

Women

Details

Title: Subtitle: A meta-analysis of the association between physical demands of domestic labor and back pain among women
Creators: Abisola Osinuga - University of Iowa
Chelsea Hicks - University of Iowa
Segun E Ibitoye - University of Ibadan
Marin Schweizer - University of Iowa
Nathan B Fethke - University of Iowa
Kelly K Baker - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: BMC women's health, Vol.21(1), pp.150-150
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01294-5
PMID: 33849504
PMCID: PMC8045256
NLM abbreviation: BMC Womens Health
eISSN: 1472-6874
Publisher: BioMed Central
Language: English
Date published: 12/01/2021
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center; General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984227056002771

Metrics

14 Record Views

14 Times Cited - Web of Science