Work-related health problems in the population : Impact of working conditions on health and on social inequalities in musculoskeletal pain among Oslo citizens aged 30–45 years

Abstract

Background<br> Lack of knowledge about the occurrence of work-related health problems in the general population makes it difficult to estimate the potential for their prevention in the workplace. The impact of working conditions on socio-economic inequalities in health also needs to be further explored. Although self-reported data is often used to follow population trends in work-related illness, the use of such data as a measure of work-related illness in the population has often been considered with scepticism, assuming this would give exaggerated estimates.<br><br> Aims<br> The aims of this thesis were to investigate the occurrence and distribution of work-related health problems in the population and the impact of working conditions on health. The more specific objectives were to: (1) examine the prevalence and distribution of self-reported work-related health problems and their impact on the burden of ill-health among Oslo citizens aged 30, 40, and 45 years; (2) quantify socio-economic inequalities in the occurrence of self-reported low back pain, neck/shoulder pain, and arm pain in the general working population in Oslo, and examine the impact of job characteristics on these inequalities; and (3) compare self-reported work-relatedness of neck/shoulder pain and arm pain with experts’ assessments based on specific criteria.