ABSTRACT
Despite the reduction of heavy industry over recent years, the prevalence of low back pain in the UK has remained constant, while back-related sickness absence has actually increased (Waddell, 1998; MacDonald et al, 2000). In response to this, the Back in Work campaign, a joint initiative of the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive, is targeting back pain in the workplace. The study reported here was one of nineteen projects commissioned under the initiative to explore current best practice for reducing back-related sickness absence.
