Elderly women with depression have a higher prevalence of low back pain

Low back pain is a pain in the lumbar vertebrae at the base of the back, short or long duration. This pain has a strong impact on mobility, and can have quite negative consequences on quality of life.

Here, researchers carried out a cross-sectional study on 17,084 people aged 15 and over. Binary multivariate logistic regression was used to study factors associated with the onset of low back pain. Complementary post hoc analyses were conducted to assess the mediating effect of depressive symptoms on the onset of low back pain according to gender.

The results of this cross-sectional study showed that older people had a higher incidence of developing low back pain, mainly older women.

In addition to gender and age, overweight and obesity were also identified as factors favoring the onset of low back pain.

Post hoc analyses revealed that depressive symptoms had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between gender and low back pain. Women are more depressed than men, increasing their risk of developing low back pain. Depressive symptoms could explain part of the association between female gender and a higher prevalence of low back pain.

Targeting depression could therefore reduce the prevalence of low back pain, particularly in women. Behavioural factors, such as body mass index, also play an important role, underlining the need for integrated prevention and treatment strategies that address both the physical and mental aspects of health.