The effect of health education on prevention of low back pain for health caregivers and cleaning workers.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of health education on prevention of low back pain for health caregivers and cleaning workers. Low back pain is a common health problem in the workplace. Health education is important in the prevention and recurrence of low back pain. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group was used. The population of the study consisted of health caregivers and cleaning workers working in a university hospital in Turkey. A total of 120 participants, 60 in the intervention group and 60 in the control group, were included in the study. Data were collected between October 2016 and April 2017. A questionnaire, the Oswestry Low Back Pain Scale and the Knowledge Evaluation Form were used to collect data. Health education was given to the intervention group. Following the health education, the mean scores of the Oswestry Low Back Pain Scale in the intervention group were significantly lower than the control group and had a larger effect size. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of health education in the prevention of low back pain in health caregivers and cleaning workers.