Prevalence and Risk Factors of low Back Pain; A Case from the Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan

Abstract

Low Back Pain (LBP) is among the major causes of disability in the world, and it poses serious occupational health challenges to the working class, especially among less active workers like as faculty researchers in universities. The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of LBP and identify the occupational, psychosocial, and lifestyle risk factors of LBP in faculty members in higher educational institutions. The cross-sectional analytic design was used including 300 faculty researchers of five universities (60 researchers in each Higher Educational Institutions). A standardized questionnaire that included all the items of Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) as well as information about the demographics, work characteristics, physical activity, and psychosocial stress was gathered. Associations were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression. LBP prevalence in the past 12 months was 57.3% (n= 172). Significant risk factors in the multivariate analysis included prolonged sitting (>6 hours/day) (OR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.45–3.78, p < .001), lack of regular physical activity (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.18–3.13, p = .009), high perceived work stress (OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.08–2.88, p = .023), and poor ergonomic workstation setup (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.24–3.25, p = .004). We concluded that LBP is prevalent amongst the faculty members of higher education institutions and is correlated with the adaptable work and lifestyle situations. Factors including ergonomics, physical activity promotion, and stress prevention interventions are likely to avoid this burden.