Low Back Pain and Associated Factors among Primary School Teachers in Mekele City, North Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Aregawi Kebede, Solomon Mekonnen Abebe, Haile Woldie and 1 others
PMID 31360145WHAT IT FOUND
Low back pain was reported by 74.8% of primary school teachers in Mekele.
Sleep disturbance and prolonged standing were linked to higher reports of pain, but this was not a test of treatment.
Key findings
01Low back pain in the last 12 months was reported by 74.8% of the 611 teachers analysed (95% CI: 71.4%-78.2%).
02Sleep disturbance was associated with higher odds of low back pain (AOR = 6.99; 95% CI: 2.20, 13.63).
03Prolonged standing during sessions was associated with higher odds of low back pain (AOR = 4.78; 95% CI: 3.75, 9.32).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether the factors came before low back pain. Pain was self-reported and not clinically verified in the last 12 months. The Nordic questionnaire was not validated for the study setting. Recall bias was possible because teachers had to remember symptoms over the last 12 months. The sample was limited to public primary school teachers in Mekele City, so results may not apply to other teachers or settings. Teachers on sick or other leaves were excluded, and cases with missing data were dropped.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing standing, improving sleep, or starting exercise will lower back pain. The study is cross-sectional and based on self-report, so it reports associations, not tested effects.