Baseline characteristics of the 4266 nurses’ aides who fulfilled the inclusion criteria
| Characteristics | n | % |
|---|---|---|
| *As the only activity or in combination with slow walks. | ||
| †The workplace categories are not mutually exclusive, as some subjects reported working in several places. | ||
| Age | ||
| <30 | 341 | 8.0 |
| 30–39 | 836 | 19.6 |
| 40–49 | 1777 | 41.7 |
| 50–59 | 1142 | 26.8 |
| >59 | 170 | 4.0 |
| Gender | ||
| Female | 4092 | 96.0 |
| Male | 171 | 4.0 |
| Marital status | ||
| Married or cohabiting | 3404 | 79.9 |
| Single | 857 | 20.1 |
| Preschool children (<6 y) | ||
| 0 | 3622 | 86.6 |
| 1 | 374 | 8.9 |
| 2 or more | 188 | 4.5 |
| Special tasks of caring nature in the leisure time (e.g. caring for elderly relatives or handicapped children) | ||
| No | 3096 | 73.1 |
| A little | 899 | 21.2 |
| Rather much or very much | 242 | 5.7 |
| Daily consumption of cigarettes | ||
| 0 | 2415 | 57.7 |
| 1–9 | 960 | 22.9 |
| 10 or more | 809 | 19.3 |
| Physical leisure time activities (at least 20 min once a week) | ||
| No | 1075 | 25.2 |
| Slow walks | 770 | 18.0 |
| Brief walks * | 913 | 21.4 |
| Aerobics or gym * | 260 | 6.1 |
| Other | 1248 | 29.3 |
| Years as a nurses’ aide | ||
| <3 | 91 | 2.1 |
| 3–9 | 709 | 16.6 |
| 10 or more | 3463 | 81.2 |
| Working hours per week | ||
| 19–36 | 3653 | 85.6 |
| >36 | 613 | 14.4 |
| Service sector (main workplace)† | ||
| Somatic department (adults) | 550 | 12.9 |
| Psychiatric department (adults) | 324 | 7.6 |
| Paediatric department | 70 | 1.6 |
| Nursing home | 1763 | 41.3 |
| Old people’s home | 293 | 6.9 |
| Unit of apartments for old people | 112 | 2.6 |
| Community nurse | 696 | 16.3 |
| Institution for mentally handicapped | 450 | 10.5 |
| Other | 285 | 6.7 |
| Have ever changed work or work tasks because of pain | ||
| No | 3746 | 88.0 |
| Yes | 512 | 12.0 |
| LBP previous 3 months | ||
| No | 2235 | 52.4 |
| Yes | 2031 | 47.6 |