Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2017 Dec;51(4):164-174.

Prevalence, perception and correlates of low back pain among healthcare workers in tertiary health institutions in Sokoto, Nigeria

Kehinde J Awosan  1 , Semen S Yikawe  2 , Oche M Oche  1 , Muhammad Oboirien  3
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Prevalence, perception and correlates of low back pain among healthcare workers in tertiary health institutions in Sokoto, Nigeria

Kehinde J Awosan et al. Ghana Med J. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common cause of disability worldwide. Healthcare workers are particularly prone to it because of the physical and emotional factors associated with their profession.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, perception and correlates of LBP among healthcare workers in tertiary health institutions in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 healthcare workers selected by multistage sampling technique from July to September 2016. Anthropometry was done for the participants in addition to questionnaire administration.

Results: The mean age of the study participants was 36.99 ± 8.23 years. The lifetime, annual, and point prevalence of LBP among the participants were 56.2%, 39.1% and 17.2% respectively. Most, 151 (83.9%) of the 180 participants that have ever experienced LBP reported that it commenced after starting work, and they perceived it to be due to standing for long hours (57.2%), awkward postures (22.2%) and carrying heavy objects/patients at work (20.6%). Older age, female sex, longer duration of practice, overweight/obesity, and lifting heavy objects/patients at work were significantly associated with LBP among the participants.

Conclusion: The prevalence of LBP is high among healthcare workers in Sokoto, Nigeria; although it was also associated with older age and female sex, being in practice for 10 years and above, overweight/obesity, and lifting heavy objects/patients at work were the predictors identified. Management of the respective hospitals should prevent workplace exposures to heavy weight/objects by establishing "lift teams" as a temporary measure, and also implement "zero lift programs" in their facilities.

Funding: Nil.

Keywords: Prevalence; correlates; healthcare workers; low back pain; perception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nutritional status of participants
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of low back pain among participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cunningham C, Flynn T, Blake C. Low back pain and occupation among Irish health workers. Occup Med. 2006;56(7):23–28. - PubMed
    1. Mafuyai MY, Babangida BG, Mador ES, Bakwa DD, Jabil YY. The increasing cases of lower back pain in developed Nations: a reciprocal effect of development. AJIS. 2014;3(5):23–28. (2014)
    1. Golob A, Wipf J. Low Back Pain. Med Clin North Am. 2014;98(3):405–428. - PubMed
    1. Vos T, Flaxman A, Naghavi M, Lozano R, Michaud C, Ezzati M, et al. Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380(9859):2163–2196. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Murray C, Vos T, Lozano R, Naghavi M, Flaxman A, Michaud C, et al. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;30:2197–2223. - PubMed

Publication types