Table 1.
Comparison of characteristics and univariate odds ratios of potential risk factors between helicopter pilots and crewmembers suffering from flight related neck pain (cases) and those not reporting neck pain (controls)
| Risk indicators | cases (n = 123) | controls (n = 98) | Odds Ratio (95% CI univariate) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profession [n, %] | ||||
| Crewmember | 53 (45.3) | 64 (54.7) | ||
| Pilot | 70 (67.3) | 34 (32.7) | 2.5 (1.44–4.30) | 0.001 |
| Demographic data | ||||
| Age [years, Mean, SD] | 44.7 (8.3) | 44.7 (8.5) | 0.988 | |
| Height [m, Mean, SD] | 1.8 (0.1) | 1.8 (0.1) | 0.364 | |
| Weight [kg, Mean, SD] | 81.5 (9.8) | 80.0 (10.1) | 0.078 | |
| BMI [kg/m2, Mean, SD] | 24.9 (2.4) | 24.6 (2.5) | 0.242 | |
| Flying hour variables [h, Mean, SD] | ||||
| Total flying hours | 3311.3 (3286.2) | 2254.3 (2682.6) | 0.001 | |
| Flying hours in the previous year | 163.0 (134.6) | 132.7 (129.0) | 0.020 | |
| Average flying hours per month in the previous 3 months | 25.1 (28.0) | 18.3 (21.4) | 0.003 | |
| NVG variables | ||||
| NVG use [n, %] | ||||
| Yes | 91 (74.0) | 56 (57.1) | 2.1 (1.20–3.76) | 0.009 |
| NVG flying hours [h, Mean, SD] | 80.3 (116.0) | 46.8 (83.9) | 0.071 | |
| NVG flying years [years, Mean, SD] | 4.2 (3.8) | 3.6 (4.6) | 0.362 | |
| Helicopter type [n, %] | ||||
| Augusta Bell 58/206/212/407 | 9 (60.0) | 6 (40.0) | 1.2 (0.42–3.53) | 0.726 |
| Eurocopter 135 | 97 (55.7) | 77 (44.3) | 1.0 (0.5–1.9) | 0.958 |
| Airbus 350/355 | 9 (56.3) | 7 (43.8) | 1.0 (0.4–2.9) | 0.960 |
| Others | 8 (50.0) | 8 (50.0) | 0.8 (0.3–2.2) | 0.637 |
| Shoulder pain [n, %] | ||||
| Yes | 65 (62.8) | 16 (16.3) | 5.7 (3.02–10.92) | < 0.001 |
| Low back pain [n, %] | ||||
| Yes | 66 (53.7) | 27 (27.6) | 3.05 (1.73-5.37) | <0.001 |