Prevalence and Management of Low Back Pain Among Health Workers in a Private Owned Teaching Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Aim The study assessed the prevalence and management of LBP among health workers in a private teaching hospital in South West Nigeria. Background Health care workers (HCWs) often experience low back pain (LBP) more than any other category of workers. While a lot has been documented about the prevalence of LBP among different categories of workers, little is known about how health workers manage LBP. Objectives The study assessed the prevalence and management of LBP among health workers in a private teaching hospital in South West Nigeria. Association between variables was tested (a) sociodemographic variables (i.e., age, gender) and prevalence of low back pain, and (b) interference with Activities of daily living and categories of health workers. Methods A cross-sectional design was employed in this study. One hundred and eighty-nine HCWs were randomly selected in the wards and units of the hospital. The prevalence of the LBP questionnaire and Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive (mean and percentages) and inferential (chi-square and ANOVA) statistics. Results The prevalence of LBP among health workers was found to be 87.3%. Also, most of the health workers massage their back (78.3%), engage in exercise (72.0%), and use analgesics (69.3%) as a means of managing LBP. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between gender (X2 = 0.31, P>0.05), age (X2 = 1.52, P>0.05), marital status (X2 = 2.93, P>0.05) of HCWs and prevalence of LBP. However, a significant difference exists in the mean interference of LBP with activities of daily living across the different categories of healthcare workers that participated in the study (F= (7,181) 3.58, P = 0.01). Conclusion The prevalence of LBP is high among HCWs that participated in the study. Therefore, it is recommended that HCWs might use massage, engagement in exercise, and analgesics as a means to combat LBP.