Low Back Pain among Healthcare Workers in University Hospital in Tunisia

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain is a real public health issue. It is a common musculoskel-etal disorder linked to work among health professionals. The objective of this study is to deter-mine the frequency of low back pain among healthcare workers and to study the associated risk factors.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 6 months during the year 2022 involving a sample of the healthcare staff at Mahdia University Hospital. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was completed by the healthcare staff, including anthropometric, socio-economic, professional lifestyle habits, and the characteristics of low back pain.

Results: A total of 96 participants responded to the questionnaire. The population was mostly fe-male (75.3%) with an average age of 36.21 ± 8.78 years. The average BMI was 27.7 kg/m2 ± 4.5 kg/m2, with nurses being the most numerous group, followed by midwives. The professional ac-tivities were mainly care activities (76.7%). The frequency of low back pain was estimated at 82.2% (n=79). In univariate analysis, a significant association was observed between the low back pain and age (p < 0.001), marital status (p = 0.027), physical activity (p = 0.03), job seniori-ty (p = 0.001), care activities (p = 0.03), sitting position (p = 0.04) and weight carried (p = 0.003).

Discussion: The prevalence of low back pain in our study was 82.2%. This finding aligns with results from studies conducted in Egypt at Zigazig Hospital (79%) and in Rwanda at Kanombe Military Hospital (78%).

Conclusion: In this study, multiple factors linked to low back pain were identified, most of which are modifiable, highlighting the need to implement effective preventive measures to reduce the prevalence of low back pain and limit the socio-economic damage it generates.

Keywords: Health professional; healthcare; Tunisia; low back pain; occupational health; risk factors.