Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Associated Risk Factors Among High School Teachers in Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most frequent occupational health problems and accounts for a large number of losses in working days and disability for workers in modern industrialized countries. The aim of this paper was to investigate the prevalence of lower back problem and to associate risk factors among high school teachers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among high school teachers using self-administered questionnaires, which were distributed to randomly selected school teachers of 7 boys' and 10 girls' high schools across the city of Kerman and collected between October and November 2010. A total of 296 teachers returned completed questionnaires, yielding a response rate of 78.9%. The 12-month prevalence of LBP was 68.8%, which reporting with moderate disability. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that females [odds ratio (OR): 1.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.51-2.00] were positively correlated to LBP. Awkward arm posture (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.24-2.62) and awkward body posture (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.87-1.49) were significantly associated with LBP. Psychosocial job demands and job dissatisfaction were also significantly associated with LBP. Smoking cigarette was three times more likely to develop lower back pain when compared with non-smokers. The prevalence of LBP was high among high school teachers. A wide variety of LBP risk factors were identified in the current study.

Work-related risk factors and the prevalence of low back pain among low wage workers: results from a cross-sectional study

“…On the contrary, satisfied workers could manage the job demand and control imbalance in a better way and this lessens the likelihood to develop low back pain than their counterparts. This result is supported by the study conducted in Iran in which job dissatisfaction was strongly associated with low back pain [37] and as well in Netherland as low job satisfaction was identified as a risk factor for sickness absence due to low back pain [3].…”

Magnitude and influencing factors of work-related low back pain among high school teachers in West Arsi zone, Southwest Ethiopia: evidenced from multicentred cross-sectional study

“…In this study, the lifting of a heavy load was significantly associated with increased LBP. The result is consistent with research undertaken in Iran 51. Our evidence showed that psychological demand for a job was associated with LBP, which indicated that teachers with high demand were 2.86 times more likely to experience LBP.…”

“…Therefore, regular exercise is recommended for teachers every day in sessions and the morning. Similar results were seen in a study of school teachers and teaching staff in various countries, where teachers who reported regular physical activity were less likely to experience LBP compared with those who did not engage in regular physical activity 16 28 51. The finding implied that the LBP intervention should focus on engaging schoolteachers in physical activity is crucial and will ultimately contribute to the productivity of teachers in academia.…”

Low back pain and its determinants among wait staff in Gondar town, North West Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

“…The findings of this research revealed that sex is significantly associated with work-related low back pain, which means a female is 3 times [AOR (1.07–8.30)] more likely to have work-related low back pain than compared to a male. This result was in line with the study, which was conducted in Iran ( 24 ), a literature review done in ( 25 ), and a systematic review done in Africa ( 26 ), Gondar, Ethiopia ( 16 ). One possible explanation is that women are more obese than men, which cause low back pain.…”