Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between two types of
heavy work investment, workaholism and work engagement, and low back pain
prevalence. Methods:We conducted a paper-based survey of Japanese hospital
workers. The Dutch Workaholism Scale (DUWAS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement
Scale (UWES) were used to classify the participants into four groups
and perform multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Among 699 participants,
the group with low DUWAS and high UWES at 37.1% had the lowest
low back pain prevalence. In order, the groups with low DUWAS and UWES
were at 51.7%; those with high DUWAS and UWES, 58.5%; and those with
high DUWAS and low UWES, 62.4%, with multivariate-adjusted odds ratios
of 1.77, 2.01, and 2.33, respectively. Conclusions: Low back pain prevalence
among Japanese hospital workers was reduced by high levels of work engagement,
even at high levels of workaholism.
