INTRODUCTION

Understanding the role of personal variables in the development of low back pain (LBP) is important not only for planning epidemiological studies but also for prevention efforts (1). Obesity has been shown to contribute an independent risk for LBP even after controlling for age, education, exercise level and employment status (2). This is likely because increasing height and weight would be expected to increase spinal loading during several activities and increase the movement about the lumbosacral joint. The aim in this study was to examine the associations between obesity and disability caused by LBP.