Serum lipids and low back pain in male aircraft maintenance technicians: association after ergonomic exposure adjustment.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the independent associations between serum lipids and low back pain (LBP) among male aircraft maintenance technicians after adjustment for ergonomic exposures.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study enrolled 1713 male aircraft maintenance technicians. LBP and ergonomic exposures were assessed using the Chinese Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Quick Exposure Check, respectively. We measured fasting serum lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Associations were examined using binary and ordinal logistic regression models with sequential adjustments for personal and occupational covariates.

RESULTS

The prevalence of LBP was 42.4%. After adjustment for potential confounders, the natural logarithm of TG (ln-TG) was positively associated with LBP presence (odds ratio [OR] 1.229; 95% CI, 1.020-1.480; P = .030) and intensity (OR 1.301; 95% CI, 1.097-1.542; P = .003), whereas HDL-C was inversely associated with LBP presence (OR 0.639; 95% CI, 0.438-0.932; P = .020). Categorical analysis identified key factors associated with higher LBP presence, including work experience of 5-9.9 years, high/very high back exposure, moderate/high work pace, high/very high stress, and borderline-high/high TG. The adjusted ORs for these key ergonomic exposures were higher than those for any lipid parameter.

CONCLUSIONS

Among male aircraft maintenance technicians, serum TG is an independent correlate of LBP after adjustment for ergonomic exposures. Given that ergonomic exposures are the predominant associated factors, prevention strategies should primarily focus on ergonomic interventions, with the management of serum lipids such as TG an adjunctive measure.