# Low Back Pain Among Employees of the Qassim Health Cluster: Prevalence, Patterns, and Predictive Factors

## TL;DR

This study found that 84.8% of healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia suffer from low back pain, with factors like lack of exercise and heavy lifting contributing to disability.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific predictive factors for low back pain and disability among healthcare professionals in the Qassim Health Cluster.

## Key findings

- LBP prevalence was highest among nurses and doctors aged 31-50 years.
- Lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, and heavy lifting were significant predictors of LBP and disability.
- Current pain levels and radiating leg pain explained 36.9% of disability variance.

## Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and its association with demographic and occupational factors and disability among healthcare professionals and administrative staff in the Qassim Health Cluster in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed using a self-administered questionnaire. Data collection was carried out from 323 workers in Qassim Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire gathered data based on demographics, lifestyle, occupational factors, LBP characteristics, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression.

Results: LBP prevalence was high among nurses and doctors belonging to the age group 31-50 years. The significant factors associated with LBP and ODI scores are lack of regular exercise, inadequate sleep, lifting heavy weight, high pain, and being of the female gender. Multiple linear regression depicted that current pain VAS (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), pain radiating to the legs (β = 0.26, p < 0.001), and daily sleeping hours (β = −0.11, p = 0.019) were independent predictors of disability, explaining 36.9% of the variance in ODI.

Conclusion: LBP prevalence is high (84.8%) among workers in the Qassim Health Cluster, with significant functional disability. There is a need to plan interventions in order to improve workers’ health and to engage in a work-life balance approach to overcome LBP and enhance productivity.