• Sanna Kääriä, Juhani Kirjonen, Risto Telama, Leena Kaila-Kangas, and Päivi Leino-Arjas.
• Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland, sanna.kaaria@multicom.fi.
• Eur Spine J. 2014 Mar 1; 23 (3): 508-11.

Study DesignProspective cohort study.ObjectiveTo study the associations between strenuous leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and subsequent hospitalization due to back disorders. Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors are associated with back-related hospitalization, but the significance of strenuous LTPA in the working population is unclear.MethodsThe cohort (n = 902) was drawn from among employees in the metal industry (n = 2,653). Data were collected by a questionnaire and a structured interview on LTPA. Activity regarding strenuous (>500 kcal/h) LTPA was categorized as none, some, and high. Information from national registers on hospitalizations and deaths during 28 years of follow-up was linked to the data. Cox proportional hazards regression was used.ResultsSubjects with a high level of strenuous LTPA had a decreased risk of hospitalization due to back disorders (hazard ratio 0.40; 95% CI 0.21-0.79) compared with persons with no strenuous activity, after adjustment for age and gender. The association persisted (0.48; 0.24-0.96) when further adjusted for occupational class, self-reported back diseases, smoking, and body mass index at baseline.ConclusionStrenuous LTPA decreased the risk of inpatient hospital care for back disorders among industrial employees.

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