Musculoskeletal pain and smoking in Norway

Objective - To examine the association between musculoskeletal pain and smoking. Design - Cross sectional, national interview survey. Setting - All individuals in a representative sample of households in Norway in 1985. Subjects - A total of 6681 persons aged 16 to 66 years old, People in institutions were not included. Outcome measures - Gender specific and age specific prevalence rates for pain in the cervical region/upper limbs, back, and lower limbs. Results - Current smoking was independently associated with musculoskeletal pain (odds ratio (OR) 1.69; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.45,1.97) after adjustment for gender, age, comorbidity, mental distress, lifestyle factors, and occupation related factors. The association was of similar strength regarding cervical/upper limb pain (OR 1.87; CI 1.56, 2.25) and. back pain (OR 1.84; CI 1.50,2.25) but weaker in respect of lower limb pain (OR 1.37; CI 1.10,1.71). Musculoskeletal pain was often present in more than one site. Conclusion - Smoking was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain after adjustment for other relevant factors.