L. Aasdahl et al.
association between changes in FABQ and future work
participation was found. Participants with decreasing
fear-avoidance beliefs had more work-participation
days than those with consistently high or increasing
fear-avoidance beliefs. Those with consistently low
fear-avoidance beliefs had the most working days. The
association was stronger for the work subscale than for
the physical activity subscale. The results indicate that
using a cut-off between low-risk and medium/high-risk
patients could be useful in clinical practice to predict
work participation. A novel finding is that baseline
scores for the FABQ were associated with future work
participation for participants with psychological diag-
noses, indicating that this questionnaire might be useful
to patient groups other than those with low-back pain,
although further research is needed to substantiate this.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank project co-worker Guri Helmersen for va-
luable assistance, Tryggve Skylstad at the Norwegian Welfare
and Labor Service for providing lists of sick-listed individuals,
and Ola Thune at the Norwegian Welfare and Labor Service
for providing sick leave data and insight to the National Social
Security System Registry. We also thank clinicians and staff at
Hysnes Rehabilitation Center and the Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation at St Olavs Hospital, and the par-
ticipants who took part in the study.
Funding. The Liaison Committee between the Central Nor-
way Regional Health Authority and the Norwegian University
of Science and Technology; The Research Council of Norway;
and allocated government funding through the Central Norway
Regional Health Authority.
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