National Area Deprivation Index is Related to Diet Pattern and Pain-Related Inflammatory Biomarkers in Community Dwelling Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain

Larissa J Strath^1*Jonas Dembowski²Javier A Tamargo¹Andrew Sims²Demario S Overstreet²Terence M Penn²Rahm J Bakshi²Eeshaan Bajaj²Tammie Quinn²D Leann Long³Robert Ernest Sorge²Burel R Goodin⁴

• ¹University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
• ²University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
• ³Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
• ⁴Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a common healthcare issue, with many personal and economic costs. Recent literature suggests that socioeconomic and diet quality variables may play a role in the impact of cLBP on an individual. The purpose of this study was to examine if SES, via the National Area of Deprivation Index (NADI), and diet quality using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), were associated with levels of proinflammatory cytokines and movement-evoked pain outcomes in individuals with cLBP. We hypothesized that individuals with cLBP with poor NADI and DII scores would have significantly greater pain and levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Participants with cLBP (n= 78) were given several questionnaires regarding their pain and demographic factors as well as a 24-hour food recall. Inflammatory biomarkers were measured by a peripheral blood draw prior to the completion of the questionnaires. Analyses revealed that NADI and DII were associated with a similar profile of inflammatory biomarkers and pain outcomes, and that DII differed by a function of NADI. These findings offer important information for future targeting goals for the treatment of vulnerable populations with cLBP. Future studies to determine if the relationships seen between SES, diet quality, and inflammation extend to other chronic pain conditions may be warranted.