Frequency of Low Back Pain and Its Related Functional Disability in Security Guards

Abstract

Security guards are integral to many organizations today, especially in Pakistan. However, there is not much research done to discover the health problems associated with the nature of their Job. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in security guards in two cities in Pakistan. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed that included male and female security guards who were residents of Islamabad, and Dera Ghazi Khan, aged between 20 and 60 years. A convenience sampling technique was used for sampling, and a total of 580 participants responded to a structured questionnaire after signing the consent form. Feedback was collected hand to hand, and the statistical analysis was done on SPSS V20. The results show that the prevalence of LBP was 74.4% in Islamabad and 65.5% in Dera Ghazi Khan. Out of the total 580 participants (290 participants from Islamabad and 290 participants from Dera Ghazi Khan), 406 participants claimed to experience LBP once, with an overall prevalence of 70.12%. Prolonged standing was the most common aggravating factor other than prolonged sitting and lying. In addition to LBP, pain in other body parts was also reported, including the knee (52.2%), shoulder (14.1%), foot (10.1%), wrist (0.17%), and neck (0.74%). We concluded that the frequency of LBP and relative functional disabilities are higher in security guards due to job ergonomics and prolonged standing.