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Back Belts in the Workplace
Nortin M. Hadler, MD;
Timothy S. Carey, MD, MPH
JAMA. 2000;284:2780-2781.
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In this issue of THE JOURNAL, Wassell and colleagues1 present the results of a prospective cohort study evaluating the potential benefits to workers who wear back belts when handling materials. They discern none. Not only of interest to workplace, health, and safety policymaker, the article offers lessons to those interested in regional backache. The science is noteworthy as is the social construct it serves. When regional backache thwarts physical performance, should the task(s) be viewed as hazardous and the worker injured?
In assessing the effectiveness of an intervention, cohort studies are often considered inferior to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Therefore, since an RCT published in THE JOURNAL 2 years ago2 showed that wearing back belts for 6 months afforded no advantage to airline baggage handlers, why publish a cohort study? It is possible that workers who choose to wear belts may . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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James T. Wassell, Lytt I. Gardner, Douglas P. Landsittel, Janet J. Johnston, and Janet M. Johnston
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