Table 1.
Characteristics of the sample of male and female employees
| Characteristics | No. participants n (%) | Male n (%) | Female n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | n = 2082 | n = 1036 | n = 1046 |
| Age (years) | |||
| 31–35 | 193 (9.3) | 108 (10.4) | 85 (8.1) |
| 36–40 | 310 (14.9) | 153 (14.8) | 157 (15.0) |
| 41–45 | 449 (21.6) | 221 (21.3) | 228 (21.8) |
| 46–50 | 491 (23.6) | 240 (23.2) | 251 (24.0) |
| 51–55 | 421 (20.2) | 206 (19.9) | 215 (20.6) |
| 56–60 | 218 (10.4) | 108 (10.4) | 110 (10.5) |
| BMI | |||
| Underweight - BMI under 18.5 kg/m² | 25 (1.2) | 2 (0.2) | 23 (2.2) |
| Normal weight - BMI greater than or equal to 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m² | 799 (38.4) | 260 (25.1) | 539 (51.5) |
| Overweight - BMI greater than or equal to 25 to 29.9 kg/m² | 891 (42.8) | 570 (55.0) | 321 (30.7) |
| Obesity - BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m² | 367 (17.6) | 204 (19.7) | 163 (15.6) |
| Occupational level | |||
| unskilled workers | 121 (5.8) | 39 (3.8) | 82 (7.8) |
| skilled workers | 835 (40.1) | 460 (44.4) | 375 (35.9) |
| semi-professionals | 580 (27.9) | 235 (22.7) | 345 (32.9) |
| academics/managers | 546 (26.2) | 302 (29.1) | 244 (23.3) |
| Psychological conditions | |||
| Yes | 283 (13.6) | 95 (9.2) | 188 (18.0) |
| No | 1799 (86.4) | 941 (90.8) | 858 (82.0) |
| Leisure time physical activity | |||
| mostly/all the time | 155 (7.4) | 95 (9.2) | 60 (5.7) |
| some/little of the time | 1166 (56.0) | 641 (61.9) | 525 (50.2) |
| None of the time | 761 (36.6) | 300 (29.0) | 441 (44.1) |
| Smoking | |||
| Never | 852 (40.9) | 390 (37.6) | 462 (44.2) |
| In the past | 622 (29.9) | 337 (32.5) | 285 (27.3) |
| Stopped in the last 12 months | 37 (1.8) | 24 (2.3) | 13 (1.2) |
| Sometimes | 134 (6.4) | 66 (6.4) | 68 (6.5) |
| Every day | 437 (20.99) | 219 (21.1) | 218 (20.8) |
| Musculoskeletal disease | |||
| Yes | 1,141 (54.8) | 572 (55.2) | 569 (54.4) |
| No | 941 (45.2) | 464 (44.8) | 477 (45.6) |
| Sitting at work | |||
| Never | 350 (16.8) | 182 (17.6) | 168 (16.1) |
| up to ¼ of the time | 422 (20.3) | 204 (19.7) | 218 (20.8) |
| up to ½ of the time | 344 (16.5) | 177 (17.1) | 167 (16.0) |
| up to ¾ of the time | 346 (16.6) | 173 (29.0) | 173 (16.5) |
| more than ¾ the time, almost always | 620 (29.8) | 300 (29.0) | 320 (30.6) |
| Sitting at work (hours/week) | |||
| Under 5 h/week | 570 (27.4) | 243 (23.5) | 327 (31.3) |
| 5 to < 15 h/week | 557 (20.4) | 194 (18.7) | 231 (22.1) |
| 15 to < 25 h/week | 365 (17.5) | 161 (15.5) | 204 (19.5) |
| 25 to < 35 h/week | 334 (16.0) | 171 (16.5) | 163 (15.6) |
| 35 or more hours/week | 388 (18.6) | 267 (25.8) | 121 (11.6) |
| Heavy lifting at workplace | |||
| never | 1,165 (56.0) | 551 (53.2) | 614 (58.7) |
| up to ¼ of the time | 593 (28.5) | 314 (30.3) | 279 (26.7) |
| up to ½ of the time | 171 (8.2) | 94 (9.1) | 77 (7.4) |
| up to ¾ of the time | 64 (3.1) | 27 (2.6) | 37 (3.5) |
| more than ¾ the time, almost always | 89 (4.3) | 50 (4.8) | 39 (3.7) |
working hours per week (
, SD)
|
37.4 (12.6) | 43.1 (9.0) | 31.8 (13.2) |
| Musculoskeletal symptoms at follow-up, in 2017 | |||
| Neck | |||
| Yes | 1137 (54.6) | 463 (44.7) | 674 (64.4) |
| No | 945 (45.4) | 573 (55.3) | 372 (35.6) |
| Shoulders | |||
| Yes | 1102 (52.9) | 498 (48.1) | 604 (57.7) |
| No | 980 (47.1) | 538 (51.9) | 442 (42.3) |
| Upper back | |||
| Yes | 635 (30.5) | 261 (25.2) | 374 (35.8) |
| No | 1447 (69.5) | 775 (74.8) | 672 (64.2) |
| Lower back | |||
| Yes | 1177 (56.5) | 581 (56.1) | 596 (57.0) |
| No | 905 (43.5) | 455 (43.9) | 450 (43.0) |
n: number; 
: mean; SD: standard deviation