Lower limb pain among workers: a cross-sectional analysis of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey

Objective: Develop a model to predict the prevalence of lower limb pain using indicators of high workplace exposures based on the fifth European Working Conditions Survey, evaluate its impact and explore its significance for work-related health problems. Method: Cross-sectional interview data of 35,372 workers from 27 countries of the European Union in 2010 (EU27) were used to develop (20% sample) and validate (80% sample) a logistic regression model for lower limb pain. Independent variables included descriptions of working conditions, assessments of physical and psychosocial exposures at work, and demographic factors. The impact of the model was explored through the amount of lower limb pain cases attributable to work and estimating work absences correlated with lower limb pain. Results: The resulting logistic model included ten risks indicators and one preventive factor. The highest odds ratios (OR) corresponded to “tiring or painful positions” OR 2.0, 99% confidence interval (99% CI) 1.9–2.2, and “not satisfied with level of working conditions in the job” (OR 1.6, 99% CI 1.5–1.7). The prevalence of work-related lower limb pain was 16.5% for men and 15.8% for women for the 27 countries of the European Union. Estimates based on the developed model revealed more than 34 million cases of work-related lower limb pain, where four physical risks explained about 22 million cases. In addition, more than 3 million days of absence from work in 2010 could be attributed to lower limb pain. Conclusion: Lower limb pain is highly prevalent among the European workforce and work exposures are a major contributing factor. Effective workplace interventions should aim at improving working conditions at workplaces with multiple risks.