Determinants of satisfaction with individual health in male and female patients with chronic low back pain.

OBJECTIVE To examine health satisfaction and its predictors in subjects with and without chronic low back pain. SUBJECTS Data for subjects aged 15-64 years were sourced from an Austrian representative population-based nationwide survey including 6,194 men and 6,183 women. METHODS Health satisfaction and its determinants were assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF). RESULTS Prevalence of chronic low back pain was 8.0% (range 7.6-8.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI)) in men and 8.8% (range 8.5-9.2%) in women. The proportion of men, with and without chronic low back pain, who were dissatisfied with their health was 22.5% and 5.7% (p < 0.001), respectively, and in women 28.3% and 5.4% (p < 0.001), respectively. In subjects with chronic low back pain a multi-variate analysis revealed "not needing medical treatment to function in daily life" with odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of 6.3 (2.6-15.3) and 4.2 (2.1-8.5) as the strongest predictor for health satisfaction in men and women, respectively. In men additionally "satisfaction with one's sex life" and "satisfaction with work capacity", OR: 6.6 (2.9-14.8) and 3.7 (1.5-9.3)were predictors for health satisfaction. In women, however "satisfaction with living conditions" OR: 3.7 (1.7-7.9) was an additional predictor. CONCLUSION Important determinants for health satisfaction are aspects of life such as independence and managing daily activities. These aspects can be influenced by existing therapy options.