Lifestyle and subjective musculoskeletal symptoms in young male Japanese workers: A 16-year retrospective cohort study

This longitudinal study was conducted from 2002 to 2018 and aimed to investigate predictive lifestyle factors for the occurrence of subjective musculoskeletal symptoms. The participants came from several employers in Japan. Setting 2002 as the baseline, we performed logistic regression analyses using lifestyle questionnaire items as explanatory variables and Stiff neck/shoulders (SN/S) and Lower back pain (LBP) as objective variables (n = 16,748). Workers who responded positively to good lifestyle items with an odds ratio < 1.0 and those who did not were classified in the Good (GL) and Poor lifestyle groups (PL), respectively. The survival period between the groups was compared using the log-rank test and Cox hazard regression analysis with propensity score matching (n = 3,593). Based on the Cox hazard regression analysis results, the risk of SN/S was about 2.54 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.80–3.59) times higher for PL than for GL (p < 0.001). Similarly, after propensity score matching, the risk was about 2.33 (95% CI: 1.07–5.10) times higher for PL than for GL (p < 0.05). Further, LBP risk was about 2.45 (95% CI: 1.67–3.58) times higher for PL than for GL (p < 0.001). Similarly, after propensity score matching, the risk was about 3.50 (95% CI: 1.60–7.68) times higher for PL than for GL (p < 0.01). This study highlighted that workers with four good lifestyle factors (life satisfaction, hours of sleep, exercise habits, and physical fitness) presented reduced risk of subjective musculoskeletal symptom occurrence. To prevent musculoskeletal symptoms, physicians and occupational health staff should advise on workers’ individual lifestyle.