Association Between Telecommuting Environment and Low Back Pain Among Japanese Telecommuting Workers

Matsugaki, Ryutaro; Muramatsu, Keiji; Tateishi, Seiichiro; Nagata, Tomohisa; Tsuji, Mayumi; Hino, Ayako; Ikegami, Kazunori; Fujino, Yoshihisa; Matsuda, Shinya

doi:10.1097/jom.0000000000002412

Cited by 15 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…As the work environment of telecommuters is closely related to their personal life, it is more difficult than an office environment for employers to manage. 14 Therefore, employers need to provide workers who work from home with information and education on appropriate work environments so that they can manage themselves. For instance, the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 26 , 27 may be useful, as they provide recommended telecommuting environment levels for lighting, temperature, humidity, etc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As in our previous study, 14 participants’ experience of LBP was assessed by their responses to two simple questions. The first question: "Have you experienced stiff shoulders or LBP in the past 2 weeks?"…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Telecommuting status was assessed using the same question as in the previous study 14 :”Do you work at home? Please choose the answer that is closest to your current situation.” The respondents chose one of the five following options: 4 days a week or more, 2 to 3 days a week, 1 day a week, more than once a month but less than once a week, and almost never.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the following five items to categorize telecommuting environments: (1) “Do you have a place or room where you can concentrate on your work?” (2) “Is your desk well‐enough lit for you to work?” (3) “Do you have enough space on your desk to work?” (4) “Is there enough space to stretch your legs?” (5) “Are the temperature and humidity in the room where you work appropriate for working comfortably?” These five questions were known to be related to prevalence of LBP in telecommuting workers. 14 The respondents answered “yes” or “no” to each question. For the analysis, a telecommuting environment was classified as "good" if the number of yes answers to the five questions was 3 or more, and “poor” if the number of answers was 2 or fewer.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 We reported that inadequate work environments (insufficient room to concentrate, and inadequate lighting, desk space and foot space) were associated with LBP among workers who work from home. 14 However, research on the relationship between the frequency of work from home and LBP that includes consideration of the quality of the work environment has yet to be conducted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low back pain and telecommuting in Japan: Influence of work environment quality

Matsugaki

Ishimaru

Hino

et al. 2022

Journal of Occupational Health

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Objectives This study examined the relationship between frequency of working from home and low back pain (LBP), considering the quality of work environment. Methods The study was based on a cross‐sectional internet‐based survey. Of 33 302 respondents, data from 12 774 desk workers were retained for analysis. We used a 0–10 numerical rating scale to assess LBP. Work environment was assessed using five subjective questions. Mixed‐effects logistic regression nested by city level was used to analyze the relationship between frequency of working from home and LBP, stratified by work environment condition. Results The prevalence of LBP was 21.0%. Among those reporting a poor work environment, as opposed to almost never working from home, the multivariate odds ratio (OR) of LBP were as follows: working from home less than 1 day per week: OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.89–1.76, p = .190; 2–3 days per week: OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.16–2.16, p = .004; and 4 or more days per week: OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.38–2.40, p < .001. By contrast, among those reporting a good work environment, the OR of LBP did not increase as the frequency of working from home increased. Conclusions The relationship between LBP and frequency of working from home was found to vary with the quality of the work environment; more specifically, LBP was associated with frequency of teleworking in a poor work environment. This study suggests that employers should give more support to their employees in promoting a good work environment to prevent LBP. (Words: 240/250).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low back pain and telecommuting in Japan: Influence of work environment quality

Matsugaki

Ishimaru

Hino

et al. 2022

Journal of Occupational Health

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Work Disability and Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Teleworkers: A Scoping Review

Hong,

Li,

Kersalé

et al. 2024

J Occup Rehabil

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Job stress and work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese workers: a prospective cohort study

Ikegami

Ando

Mafune

et al. 2023

Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine

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Objectives The work style reforms and the coronavirus disease pandemic in Japan have prompted efforts toward teleworking, mainly work from home (WFH). This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the impact of WFH on job stress among Japanese workers. Methods This online survey-based prospective cohort study was conducted from December 2020 (baseline) to December 2021 (1-year follow-up) using self-administered questionnaires. At baseline, 27,036 participants completed the questionnaires, whereas 18,560 (68.7%) participated in the 1-year follow-up. After excluding the 11,604 participants who left or changed workplaces within 1 year or who were physical laborers and hospitality workers, data from 6,956 participants were analyzed. We asked participants about WFH frequency at baseline and conducted a follow-up using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). Participants were divided into four groups according to WFH frequency. The odds ratios of poor states of the association of the four subscales (job demand, job control, supervisor support, and coworker support) determined by the BJSQ with WFH frequency were estimated using a multilevel logistic model. Results In both the gender–age adjusted and multivariate models, compared to the non-WFH group, the medium and low WFH groups were less likely to have poor job control, whereas the high WFH group were likely to have similar levels as the non-WFH group. In both models, compared to non-WFH participants, the high WFH group were more likely to have poor supervisor and coworker support. Conclusions High-frequency WFH requires further attention, because it may increase job stress by exacerbating deficits of social support in the workplace. Medium- and low-frequency WFH workers were more likely to have satisfactory job control; therefore, limiting WFH to three or fewer days per week may lead to better job stress management.

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Association Between Telecommuting Environment and Low Back Pain Among Japanese Telecommuting Workers

Abstract: doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Cited by 15 publications

References 23 publications

Low back pain and telecommuting in Japan: Influence of work environment quality

Low back pain and telecommuting in Japan: Influence of work environment quality

Work Disability and Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Teleworkers: A Scoping Review

Job stress and work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese workers: a prospective cohort study

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