Association between commuting time and work-related low back pain with respect to sports and leisure activities in Korean workers

Abstract

Long commuting times can induce work-related low back pain (LBP), which can be exacerbated by reduced sports and leisure activities. However, there is a lack of empirical research on commuting time and work-related LBP in Korea. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between commuting time and work-related LBP as well as the effect of sports and leisure activities on Korean workers. We utilized data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey to analyze the relationship between commuting time and work-related LBP using multivariable logistic regression. The total number of included workers was 28,202. Workers without sports and leisure activities, and long commuting times (40–59, 60–79, and ≥80 min) showed significantly higher odds ratios for work-related LBP (1.29 [95% Confidence intervals=1.12–1.49], 1.42 [1.22–1.65], and 1.96 [1.68–2.28], respectively). However, in workers with sports and leisure activities, the results were significant only for commuting times of 60–79 and ≥80 min (1.41 [1.13–1.75], 1.60 [1.28–1.99], respectively). Long commuting times were associated with work-related LBP, and engagement in sports and leisure activities was found to play a role in mitigating the impact among Korean wage workers.