Consumers Blame Manufacturers for Bad Backs

Over half of British adults suffer from back pain, according to new research commissioned by Electrolux Floorcare.

The report, looks at the prevalence of back pain in Britain and the 'triggers'. It finds that women are the biggest sufferers, with 54% saying they get back pain.

Asked what starts off their back pain or makes it worse, sufferers say that carrying heavy objects is top of the back pain trigger list (55%), but there is a clear divide between the sexes, demonstrating that traditional gender stereotypes continue.

Women are significantly more likely then men to say their back pain is started or aggravated by the following causes.

Women	160	Men
31%	Vacuuming	9%
15%	Pushing a Shopping Trolley	6%
10%	Dusting and Cleaning	5%

Almost a fifth (16%) of mothers of young children say that reaching for a child in the car can start a back ache or make it worse.

Men, on the other hand, are more likely to blame driving (20% versus 11% women) and playing sport (17% men versus 14% women).

And back pain sufferers are claiming that manufacturers often don't consider the back strain when designing products. Among the biggest culprits of 'back-unfriendly design' are:

Vacuum Cleaners	79%
Shopping Trolleys	74%
Lawnmowers	87%
Dishwahers	92%

When it comes to mothers of young children, over three quarters (78%) believe that the designers of prams do not consider back strain, and 72% believe the same to be true of pushchairs.

Electrolux Floorcare commissioned the research to investigate the prevalence of back pain among British consumers and look at the common triggers of back pain. The company also wanted to see whether there is a link between vacuuming and back pain.

Technical details

MORI interviewed 1,998 adults aged 15+ in 167 sampling points face-to-face, in-home, throughout Great Britain between 3-6 July 1998. All data have been weighted to reflect the known population profile.