Lower back pain in patients applying to family health center

Abstract

Lower back pain is a musculoskeletal system problem with a high prevalence, causing disability and adversely affecting the domestic economy. To decrease the prevalence and morbidity of lower back pain, individual, psycho-social, and vocational risk factors should be identified properly. Our research aims to assess the lower back prevalence in primary healthcare services, risk factors, and knowledge and behaviors to prevent lower back pain. Our research is a cross-sectional study that uses face-to-face surveys with individuals who visited the family healthcare centers in Mersin for any reason and consented to participate in our study. The average age of 217 patients is (18-80). 54.4% of the participants are female, while 45.6% of them are male. 83.8% stated that they have experienced lower back pain at least once in their lifetime and 76.3% of these participants reported that they have had lower back pain in the last year. 41.9% of the participants defined themselves as happy, whereas those who had lifelong lower back pain were more likely to define themselves as unhappy/neither happy nor unhappy (p:0.013). Lifelong low back pain was found to be significantly higher in those who did not exercise (p:0.014). It is found that it is higher for those who have advanced age, do not consider themselves happy, do not exercise, and cannot receive support from their supervisors. In-service training should be provided.