Prevalence of low back pain and its determinant factors among prehospital healthcare providers working in ambulance service centres in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024: a cross-sectional study design.

BACKGROUND

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Low back pain (LBP) is a discomfort in the spinal area around the 12th rib and the inferior gluteal folds with or without radiation to the lower extremities. It is a widespread public health problem throughout the world, especially a prominent problem for healthcare providers working in prehospital areas. Now, it is a major problem in low- and middle-income countries, but the magnitude and its determinant factors have not been researched in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of LBP and associated factors among prehospital healthcare providers in selected ambulance service centres in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from a total of 150 prehospital healthcare providers working in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1 to 30 April 2024. A simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using a standardised self-administered questionnaire by certified degree nursing professionals. The collected data were imported into EpiData V. 3.1 and exported to SPSS V. 25 for analysis. To determine whether there is a significant relationship between the dependent and independent variables, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was carried out.

RESULT

The overall prevalence of LBP among prehospital healthcare providers was 80%. Working in a twisting position (AOR: 5.763 (95% CI 1.544 to 21.515)) and several call missions >6 times per week (AOR: 12.437 (95% CI 2.603 to 59.423)) were positive predictors, while using ergonomic manual guidelines (AOR: 0.159 (95% CI 0.032 to 0.787)) was a negative predictor of LBP.

CONCLUSION

There was a high prevalence of LBP among prehospital healthcare providers. Also, predictors of twisting position, using ergonomic manual guidelines and call missions per week were significantly associated with LBP. Healthcare facilities should be retrofitted with equipment enabling work based on the principles of back ergonomics.