title: Adolescent low back pain among secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescent low back pain (ALBP) can be considered a signal or precursor of a serious organic disease or telltale sign of future incidence of low back pain in adulthood. Published articles on ALBP in Nigeria are not readily available.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study's objectives were to investigate the prevalence of Adolescent Low Back Pain (ALBP) among secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria and the prevalence's association with some socio-demographic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were adolescent students from 15 secondary schools in Ibadan. Data was collected using a respondent-administered, validated questionnaire on low back pain in adolescents. Participants (Female: 298; Male: 273) aged 14.23 ±2.27 years (range 10-19) were recruited through multi-stage random sampling. Five hundred and seventy-one (83.97%) of the 680 copies of the questionnaire administered were returned. Data was analysed using mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentages, and Chi-square test with alpha level at 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lifetime, twelve-month, one-month and point prevalence rates of ALBP were 58.0%, 43.8%, 25.6% and 14.7% respectively. Age at first experience of ALBP was 11.86 ± 2.36 years. Gender was not significantly associated with any rate (p ≥0.317). Age (p ≤ 0.043) and engagement in commercial activities (p ≤ 0.025) were significantly associated with all period prevalence rates while injury to the back was significantly associated with all period prevalence rates except point prevalence (p = 0.087).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescent low back pain is common among secondary school students in Ibadan and its prevalence is significantly associated with age and engagement in commercial activities, but not with gender.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Babatunde O A
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Adegoke
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Adesola C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Odole
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Adebayo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Adeyinka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescent; low back pain; school children