Assessment of Factors Influencing Low Back Pain Among AdultPatients Attending the General Outpatient Clinic of A Tertiary Hospitalin Makurdi, North Central Nigeria.

Abstract

Low back pain is a highly prevalent health problem globally. It is one of the most common musculoskeletal
problems affecting the human race and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Several factors have been
implicated in the development and maintenance of low back pain. Understanding the roles these factors play in low
back pain will help prevent its development and complications. This study aimed to assess the factors that influence
low back pain among adult patients attending the General Out-Patient Clinic of the Benue State University
Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study conducted
between December 2018 and April 2019 involving 392 patients aged 18 years and above. Informed consent was
obtained. Data was collected by a pretested interviewer administered questionnaire, and analysed with the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 software. There were 229 females (58.4%) and 163 males
(41.6 %). The mean age of the patients was 41.46 ± 1.33 years. The proportion of those with low back pain was 62%.
The respondents' age, marital status, level of education, occupation, previous back injury, obesity and posture
mostly adopted during daily activities were the independent predictors of low back pain. More efforts should be
directed at counselling patients on the modifiable risk factors for low back pain.