Analysis of variance for a priori cross tabulations of individual item means by back pain experience
| Item | Mean by back pain experience* | Significance from analysis of variance | Mean difference (95% CI for difference) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No LBP (n=75) | Past LBP (n=360) | Current LBP (n=162) | No vs past | No vs current | Past vs current | ||
| 1. Your back is one of the strongest parts of your body | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.070 | 0.3 (−0.1 to 0.7) | 0.4 (−0.0 to 0.9) | 0.1 (−0.2 to 0.4) |
| 6. It is easy to injure your back | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 0.000 | −0.4 (−0.7 to −0.1)† | −0.4 (−0.8 to −0.2)† | −0.1 (−0.3 to 0.1) |
| 11. You could injure your back if you are not careful | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 0.032 | 0.0 (−0.2 to 0.2 | −0.2 (−0.4 to 0.0) | −0.2 (−0.3 to −0.0)† |
| 22. If you ignore back pain, you may cause damage to your back | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 0.232 | −0.1 (−0.4 to 0.1) | −0.2 (−0.4 to 0.1) | −0.1 (−0.2 to 0.2) |
| 28. Most back pain settles quickly, at least enough to get on with normal activities | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 0.582 | 0.0 (−0.3 to 0.4) | 0.1 (−0.3 to 0.5) | 0.1 (−0.2 to 0.4) |
| 32. Once you have had back pain there is always a weakness | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 0.000 | 0.0 (−0.4 to 0.4) | −0.5 (−0.9 to −0.1)† | −0.5 (−0.8 to −0.0)† |
| 33. There is a high chance that an episode of back pain will not resolve | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 0.000 | −0.1 (−0.5 to 0.3) | −0.7 (−1.0 to −0.2)† | −0.6 (−0.8 to −0.3)† |
| 34. Once you have a back problem, there is not a lot you can do about it | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.000 | 0.5 (0.2 to 0.9)† | 0.1 (−0.3 to 0.5) | −0.4 (−0.7 to −0.2)† |
*1.0=‘False’, ‘3.0’=Unsure, ‘5.0’=True.
†Significant difference (CI does not cross 0.0).
LBP, low back pain.