title: Prevalence, consequences and predictors of low back pain among nurses in a tertiary care setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nursing is a profession with high incidence and prevalence of low back pain (LBP), with its medical and professional consequences. These prevalence rates vary among countries, and with various measurements have been used to determine LBP. Individual and work-related factors are regarded as causal factors for many back injuries. The aims of study this were: (1) to estimate the prevalence of LBP using different measures, (2) to determine medical and professional consequences of LBP, and (3) to determine the associated factors and significant predictors of LBP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 254 nurses from different departments/wards at Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Doha, Qatar over two months (February and March, 2015). A self-administered modified Nordic questionnaire was used to collect data regarding five different measures of LBP, its medical and occupational consequences and individual/lifestyle and work-related risk factors of LBP. Descriptive and analytic statistical analyses were done using chi-square and multivariate logistic regression techniques. Significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings of this study broadly confirm the high levels of back pain in nursing, with a one-year prevalence of LBP of 54.3 % for LBP of at least one day, 26.8 % for chronic LBP, 18.1 % for sick leave seeking LBP, and 34.3 % for medical treatment seeking LBP. Difficult or impossible activities of daily living were reported due to LBP in climbing stairs (50.7 %), walking (42.8 %), standing up (39.9 %), sleeping (33.3 %), getting out of bed (30.4 %) and wearing clothes (20.3 %). Work stop due to LBP was reported by 76.8 % of nurses, with 2.03 ± 3.09 days within the last year. Treatment was sought in 58.7 % by medical care, and 15.9 % by physiotherapy, while seeking rest days and/or sick leave was sought in 50.8 % of nurses with LBP. Sports practice (p = 0.003), office work (p < 0.001) and exposure to physical stress (p = 0.002) were the only significant predictors of LBP among nurses, when logistic regression analysis was conducted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of LBP among nurses at HGH is high and should be actively addressed, however, it was not a major cause of sick leave. Preventive measures should be taken to reduce the risk of lower back pain, such as arranging proper rest periods, educational programs to teach the proper use of body mechanics and sports activity programs.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. sabolfotouh86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sameh M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Abolfotouh
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Faraj
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Gemeh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moammer
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin-Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: ElSayed
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Mostafa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abolfotouh
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063128:Tertiary Health Care
keywords: Activities of daily living; Low back pain; Nurses; Occupational risk; Prevalence; Qatar