Prevalence of back pain among nurses.
OBJECTIVE
To provide estimates of the occurrence of back pain among nurses employed in the public health sector in Auckland, New Zealand.


METHODS
A cross sectional survey was undertaken of all nurses employed by the Auckland Area Health Board as at July 1992.


RESULTS
The lifetime prevalence of back pain was 74.4%. The lifetime prevalence of nursing-related back pain was 62.3%; the annual prevalence was 36.8%; and the point prevalence was 11.6%. Pacific Island nurses had a higher annual and point prevalence of nursing-related back pain compared with New Zealand European and Maori nurses. The annual and point prevalence was also higher among those working on geriatric, medical, orthopaedic and rehabilitation wards compared with other nursing environments.


CONCLUSIONS
This study found a high prevalence of back pain among nurses, and in particular, nurses working in four specific work environments were identified as having greatest risk. These findings provide support for the targeting of intervention strategies which focus on work organisational factors.
Coggan
C
C
Injury Prevention Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Auckland.
Norton
R
R
Roberts
I
I
Hope
V
V
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009729:Nursing; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence