Prevalence of low back pain and associated factors among bank workers at Hawassa district, northern zone, Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is a public health treat that affects people who are frequently enrolled in sedentary working conditions. Thereby, interventions are required to combat the effects resulting from lost productivity and cause a negative economic impact due to their absence from the workplace, seeking medical intervention at a health facility, or being on bed rest many times related to illness. The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude and associated factors among bank workers in Hawassa district, Sidama region, Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20, 2023, to June 30, 2023. A simple random sampling method was employed to select 627 bank workers. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire adopted from the Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Then the data was entered into Epidata version 4.6 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were done to identify independent predictors of lower back pain. Finally, in all analyses, a P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results Six hundred-seven bank workers participated in the study, giving a response rate of 96.8%. The overall magnitude of lower back pain among the study population was 55.2% with a 95% confidence level (CI 51.1–59). The magnitude of LBP was independently associated with four baseline factors. Manager position AOR = 4.3; 95% CI= (1.2,15); Level 2 banker AOR = 3.78% CI= (1.9,8.9); Age 30–39; AOR = 4.6; 95% CI= (2,10.6); Age ≥ 40; AOR = 2.4; 95% CI= (1.04,5.5); work space sufficient AOR = 0.5; 95% CI= (0.3,0.8); and physical activity AOR = 0.2; 95% CI= (0.1,0.9) were independent predictors of lower back pain. Conclusion The prevalence of low back pain among bank workers is high in the study area. It is recommended and essential to establish a health screening team, promote physical activity, promote healthy working conditions, and give special attention to elderly bankers and bank managers to reduce the risk of developing low back pain