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“
Back
pain is experienced by four out of five Australians, causing
significant disability to 10%.
It is a major cause of work absence and productivity loss, with a
national bill of health and workplace costs estimated at over $9b a
year. Action
on Smoking and Health (ASH) The
Canadian study, published in Clinical and Investigative Medicine journal, used health survey data
from more than 73,000 people aged 20-59 to explore the link between
smoking and chronic LBP. The
study found that while 15.7% of non-smokers reported the debilitating
condition, 23.3% of daily smokers experienced it – and the
association was stronger in 20-somethings, almost doubling the risk. The
study is believed to be the largest to date on the smoking-back pain
link, and was controlled for variables including sex, age, height,
weight, physical activity level and education. The
authors suggested that “Back pain treatment programs may benefit
from integrating smoking habit modification.” Commenting
on the finding, Professor Michael Cousins, Director of the Pain
Management Research Institute at “Chronic
pain is now regarded as a disease in its own right, and patients with
it rapidly progress into a downward spiral of physical, psychological
and environmental changes, resulting in major deterioration of all
life activities in their work, family and community roles.” ASH
“This should include an immediate tax increase and making all workplaces comprehensively smokefree in line with our commitment to the international anti-tobacco treaty.”
Comment: Media
info:
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Page last updated 24/10/09 |
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