TABLE 1.
Demographic, Work, Clinical, and Health History Characteristics of D-RISC Workers Who Received Early MRI and Those Who Did Not
| Early MRI (N = 362) | Late/No MRI (N = 1468) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | ||
| Demographics | |||
| Age (at injury) | 0.005 | ||
| <24 yr | 24 (6.6) | 169 (11.5) | |
| 25–34 yr | 79 (21.8) | 387 (26.4) | |
| 35–44 yr | 124 (34.3) | 430 (29.3) | |
| 45–54 yr | 101 (27.9) | 331 (22.5) | |
| >55 yr | 34 (9.4) | 151 (10.3) | |
| Sex | 0.031 | ||
| Female | 99 (27.3) | 488 (33.2) | |
| Male | 263 (72.7) | 980 (66.8) | |
| Race | 0.013 | ||
| White | 284 (78.5) | 1040 (70.8) | |
| Nonwhite | 76 (21.0) | 412 (28.1) | |
| Ethnicity | 0.367 | ||
| Non-Hispanic | 306 (84.5) | 1202 (81.9) | |
| Hispanic | 54 (14.9) | 249 (17.0) | |
| Education | 0.576 | ||
| Less than high school | 45 (12.4) | 195 (13.3) | |
| High school diploma/GED | 133 (36.7) | 491 (33.4) | |
| Some college | 159 (43.9) | 648 (44.1) | |
| College degree | 25 (6.9) | 133 (9.1) | |
| Household income ($) | 0.031 | ||
| <30,000 | 123 (34.0) | 605 (41.2) | |
| 30,000–45,000 | 96 (26.5) | 362 (24.7) | |
| 45,001–70,000 | 94 (26.0) | 315 (21.5) | |
| >70,000 | 41 (11.3) | 131 (8.9) | |
| Marital status | 0.113 | ||
| Married | 192 (53.0) | 742 (50.5) | |
| Living with partner | 52 (14.4) | 205 (14.0) | |
| Divorced | 78 (21.5) | 278 (18.9) | |
| Other | 40 (11.0) | 240 (16.3) | |
| Health characteristics | |||
| BMI | 0.190 | ||
| Normal, <25 | 96 (26.5) | 453 (30.9) | |
| Overweight, 25–29 | 142 (39.2) | 560 (38.1) | |
| Obese, 30–34 | 80 (22.1) | 293 (20.0) | |
| Very obese, >34 | 39 (10.8) | 124 (8.4) | |
| Health in year before injury | 0.730 | ||
| Excellent | 90 (24.9) | 330 (22.5) | |
| Very good | 125 (34.5) | 537 (36.6) | |
| Good | 107 (29.6) | 447 (30.4) | |
| Fair/poor | 40 (11.0) | 151 (10.3) | |
| SF-36 mental health score* | <0.001 | ||
| 2 SD below population mean | 84 (23.2) | 184 (12.5) | |
| 1–2 SD below population mean | 105 (29.0) | 289 (19.7) | |
| 1 SD below population mean | 101 (27.9) | 361 (24.6) | |
| At or above population mean | 72 (19.9) | 632 (43.1) | |
| Catastrophizing† (0–4) | <0.001 | ||
| Low (<1) | 43 (11.9) | 379 (25.8) | |
| Moderate (1–2.9) | 188 (51.9) | 793 (54.0) | |
| High (3–4) | 131 (36.2) | 296 (20.2) | |
| Work fear-avoidance‡ (0–6) | <0.001 | ||
| Low (0–2.9) | 34 (9.4) | 332 (22.6) | |
| Moderate (3–4.9) | 91 (25.1) | 497 (33.9) | |
| High (5–5.9) | 143 (39.5) | 405 (27.6) | |
| Very high (6) | 94 (26.0) | 234 (15.9) | |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Type of first medical visit | <0.001 | ||
| Primary care | 177 (48.9) | 635 (43.3) | |
| Occupational medicine | 18 (5.0) | 41 (2.8) | |
| Chiropractor | 71 (19.6) | 488 (33.2) | |
| Surgeon | 13 (3.6) | 26 (1.8) | |
| Emergency room/clinic | 75 (20.7) | 254 (17.3) | |
| Other | 8 (2.2) | 24 (1.6) | |
| Work characteristics | |||
| Offered job accommodation for disability | <0.001 | ||
| Yes | 131 (36.2) | 704 (48.0) | |
| No | 224 (61.9) | 748 (51.0) | |
| More than 1 previous compensable back claims | 0.008 | ||
| Yes | 89 (24.6) | 268 (18.3) | |
| No | 273 (75.4) | 1190 (81.1) | |
| Job satisfaction | 0.563 | ||
| Not at all | 16 (4.4) | 87 (5.9) | |
| Not too satisfied | 30 (8.3) | 131 (8.9) | |
| Somewhat satisfied | 160 (44.2) | 604 (41.1) | |
| Very satisfied | 156 (43.1) | 642 (43.7) | |
| Industry | 0.043 | ||
| Natural resources | 10 (2.8) | 80 (5.4) | |
| Construction | 72 (19.9) | 253 (17.2) | |
| Manufacturing | 40 (11.0) | 108 (7.4) | |
| Trade/transportation | 80 (22.1) | 366 (24.9) | |
| Management | 65 (18.0) | 232 (15.8) | |
| Education/health | 51 (14.1) | 230 (15.7) | |
| Hospitality | 44 (12.2) | 199 (13.6) | |
| Physical demands at work | 0.010 | ||
| Light | 58 (16.0) | 308 (21.0) | |
| Medium | 112 (30.9) | 470 (32.0) | |
| Heavy | 80 (22.1) | 354 (24.1) | |
| Very heavy | 108 (29.8) | 330 (22.5) | |
| Injury characteristics | |||
| Health status at the time of interview | 0.300 | ||
| Excellent | 70 (19.3) | 290 (19.8) | |
| Very good | 123 (34.0) | 531 (36.2) | |
| Good | 121 (33.4) | 466 (31.7) | |
| Fair/poor | 46 (12.7) | 180 (12.3) | |
| Pain intensity the last week§ | <0.001 | ||
| Low/no pain (0–3) | 38 (10.5) | 409 (27.9) | |
| Moderate (4–6) | 105 (29.0) | 381 (26.0) | |
| High (7–10) | 219 (60.5) | 675 (46.0) | |
| Roland-Morris disability questionnaire score¶ | <0.001 | ||
| ≤6 | 13 (3.6) | 412 (28.1) | |
| 7–12 | 48 (13.3) | 336 (22.9) | |
| 13–18 | 120 (33.1) | 408 (27.8) | |
| ≥18 | 181 (50.0) | 312 (21.3) | |
| Medical record documented injury severity rating | <0.001 | ||
| Mild sprain/strain and/or minor physical examination findings | 98 (27.1) | 906 (61.7) | |
| Major sprain/strain evidenced by substantial immobility | 69 (19.1) | 308 (21.0) | |
| Evidence of radiculopathy or reflexes absent | 193 (53.3) | 246 (16.8) | |
Frequency counts do not always sum to total because of missing responses or rounding.
Values are N (%) and P values indicate χ2 tests.
†
Mean of responses to 3 questions from the Pain Catastrophizing scale.22
‡
Mean of responses to 2 questions from the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire work scale.23
§
Any pain in the last week, scale ranges from 0 to 10.27
MRI indicates magnetic resonance imaging; BMI, body mass index; SF-36, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey; D-RISC, Disability Risk Identification Study Cohort; GED, general education diploma; SD, standard deviation.