Health behavior for preventing non-specific neck pain in office workers: influencing factors

Objectives. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the Neck Pain-specific Health Behavior in Office Workers (NHBOW) scores, a screening tool to assess health behaviors for preventing neck pain, among healthy office workers. Methods. A cross-sectional online survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among office workers by collecting data on demographics, psychosocial factors, exercise-related self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations and NHBOW score. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the factors significantly associated with NHBOW scores. Results. A total of 507 workers completed the questionnaire (1150 invited; 44% response rate). The NHBOW scores were significantly associated with exercise goal-setting (a subscale of the self-regulation) and marital status. High exercise goal-setting scores were significantly associated with better health behaviors (odds ratio [OR] 0.495, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.372, 0.660], p < 0.001), whereas being divorced was significantly associated with poorer health behaviors (OR 3.586, 95% CI [1.262, 10.191], p = 0.017). Conclusion. The findings suggest that effective health measures should, at a minimum, focus on enhancing exercise goal-setting to prevent non-specific neck pain, while also incorporating support tailored to individuals with differing marital statuses.