Table 2.
Distribution of prevalence rates (%) of referrals for low back pain by age and sex
| Age group (years) |
Men insured in HMO | Men average annual referrals a(%) |
Women insured in HMO | Women average annual referrals a(%) |
All insured in HMO | All insured average annual referrals (%) |
Difference between men and women Z ratio |
Low back pain compared with the total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95% CI | 95% CI | ||||||||
| 20–30 | 295,626 |
3377 (1.1%) |
299,513 |
3466 (1.2%) |
595,139 |
6844 (1.1%) |
0.53 | 0.55 (p < 0.001) | 0.53, 0.56 |
| 31–40 | 272,624 |
3383 (1.2%) |
267,803 |
3390 (1.3%) |
540,427 |
6773 (1.3%) |
0.82 | 0.60 (p < 0.001) | 0.58, 0.61 |
| 41–50 | 208,111 |
2697 (1.3%) |
215,349 |
3850 (1.8%) |
423,460 |
6547 (1.5%) |
12.9*** | 0.74 (p < 0.001) | 0.72, 0.76 |
| 51–60 | 164,013 |
3628 (2.2%) |
210,743 |
6198 (2.9%) |
374,756 |
9826 (2.6%) |
10.7*** | 1.27 (p < 0.001) | 1.24, 1.30 |
| 61–70 | 146,517 |
3867 (2.6%) |
177,782 |
6948 (3.9%) |
334,299 |
10,815 (3.2%) |
23.4*** | 1.58 (p < 0.001) | 1.54, 1.61 |
| 71–80 | 97,332 |
3342 (3.4%) |
125,201 |
6487 (5.2%) |
222,533 |
9829 (4.4%) |
19.9*** | 2.18 (p < 0.001) | 2.13, 2.23 |
| > 80 | 52,582 |
1419 (2.7%) |
79,150 |
2240 (2.8%) |
131,732 |
3659 (2.8%) |
1.42 | 1.35 (p < 0.001) | 1.30, 1.39 |
|
Total (> 20 years) |
1,236,805 |
21,713 (1.8%) |
1,375,541 |
32,579 (2.4%) |
2,612,346 |
54,292 (2.1%) |
34.6*** | ||
Significant: ***p < 0.001
aAnnual number of referrals divided by the number of insured persons in the same age group.
HMO, health management organization (Clalit Health Services), CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio