Table 2.
Risk Ratios (RRs) for Falls in Relation to Back Pain Among Older Women: Base Model (confounding adjusted) Estimates
| Back Pain Characteristic | N | Recurrent (≥2) Falls | Any Fall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % with ≥2 falls | Age-adjusted RR | Multivariable RR (95% CI)* | % with any fall | Age-adjusted RR | Multivariable RR (95% CI)† | ||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| Any back pain | 4,169 | 12 | 1.66 | 1.55 (1.31, 1.83) | 29 | 1.29 | 1.23 (1.13, 1.35) |
| Location | |||||||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| Low back only | 2,070 | 11 | 1.54 | 1.43 (1.18, 1.74) | 28 | 1.23 | 1.18 (1.07, 1.31) |
| Mid or upper back only | 1,168 | 12 | 1.66 | 1.59 (1.29, 1.97) | 29 | 1.29 | 1.24 (1.11, 1.39) |
| Low back plus mid or upper back | 931 | 13 | 1.91 | 1.75 (1.40, 2.19) | 32 | 1.43 | 1.34 (1.19, 1.51) |
| No. of back pain sites | |||||||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| 1 | 3,050 | 11 | 1.58 | 1.49 (1.25, 1.78) | 28 | 1.26 | 1.21 (1.10, 1.33) |
| 2 | 917 | 12 | 1.73 | 1.63 (1.30, 2.05) | 30 | 1.34 | 1.27 (1.12, 1.44) |
| 3 | 202 | 17 | 2.47 | 2.19 (1.55, 3.08) | 36 | 1.60 | 1.50 (1.23, 1.83) |
| Severity | |||||||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| Mild | 1,174 | 10 | 1.50 | 1.43 (1.15, 1.78) | 29 | 1.31 | 1.25 (1.11, 1.40) |
| Moderate | 2,406 | 12 | 1.71 | 1.60 (1.33, 1.92) | 29 | 1.30 | 1.24 (1.12, 1.36) |
| Severe | 589 | 12 | 1.76 | 1.61 (1.24, 2.10) | 28 | 1.24 | 1.18 (1.02, 1.37) |
| Frequency | |||||||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| Rarely / some of time | 3,160 | 11 | 1.59 | 1.51 (1.27, 1.79) | 29 | 1.29 | 1.24 (1.13, 1.36) |
| Most of time / always | 1,009 | 13 | 1.88 | 1.72 (1.37, 2.15) | 29 | 1.29 | 1.21 (1.06, 1.37) |
| Limited by back pain | |||||||
| No back pain | 2,670 | 7 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) | 22 | 1.0 (ref.) | 1.0 (ref.) |
| No‡ | 3,239 | 10 | 1.51 | 1.45 (1.22, 1.73) | 28 | 1.23 | 1.19 (1.09, 1.31) |
| Yes | 930 | 15 | 2.16 | 1.96 (1.57, 2.43) | 34 | 1.50 | 1.39 (1.23, 1.57) |
Notes: CI = confidence interval; ref = referent level.
*Adjusted for age, education, cigarette smoking, fainting episodes, hip pain, and history of stroke.
†Adjusted for age, education, cigarette smoking, fainting episodes, hip pain, and prevalent vertebral fracture.
‡Back pain that did not limit usual activities.