Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Current Rheumatology Reviews

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-3971
ISSN (Online): 1875-6360

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Research Article

Low Back Pain Among Students of Medical University of Tunis

Author(s): Soumaya Boussaid*, Cyrine Daldoul, Sonia Rekik, Samia Jammali, Elhem Cheour, Hela Sahli and Mohamed Elleuch

Volume 19, Issue 2, 2023

Published on: 04 October, 2022

Page: [205 - 213] Pages: 9

DOI: 10.2174/1573397118666220821143041

Price: $65

Abstract

Objective: Low Back Pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal disorder among working adults. It is one of the most prevalent complaints among students. Medical students are among those who are most exposed to this condition; due to stress, numerous hours of studying, and the sedentary lifestyle. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of LBP among the students of Tunis Faculty of Medicine and to assess its impact on student life.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on the Tunis Faculty of Medicine students. Data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire. Sociodemographic, personal, and lifestyle characteristics were collected. LBP was assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire and Its impact using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Results: One hundred and forty-eight students were included. The mean age was 22.9 ± 2.3 years (19.64-38.21). The sex ratio was 0.29. According to the Nordic questionnaire, the point, annual and lifetime prevalence of LBP were 37.8%, 80.4%, and 90.5%, respectively. The mean ODI score was 10.32 ± 8.48 % (0-32). The ODI score was minimal in 87.3% and moderated in 12.7% of cases. The associated factors with LBP were: young age (p = 0.015), spending more than 4 hours in a sitting position (p = 0.059), second cycle of medical studies (p = 0.006), low screen projection in the amphitheater (p = 0.029) and poor layout of the amphitheatres (p = 0.000). The feeling of depression was significantly higher among LBP students (p = 0.018). In the multivariate analysis, the factors that remained statistically significant were the second cycle of medical studies (OR= 3.41), feeling of depression (OR = 3.7), and the belief in the responsibility for the poor layout of the amphitheaters in the genesis or maintenance of LBP (OR = 7.66).

Conclusion: LBP in medical students is multifactorial across both personal and college-life domains.

Keywords: Low back pain, medical students, spinal osteoarthritis, psychological stress, musculoskeletal disorder.

« Previous Next »
Graphical Abstract

[1]
Violante FS, Mattioli S, Bonfiglioli R. Low-back pain. Handb Clin Neurol 2015; 131: 397-410.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-62627-1.00020-2] [PMID: 26563799]
[2]
Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom A, et al. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon 1987; 18(3): 233-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(87)90010-X] [PMID: 15676628]
[3]
Fatoye F, Gebrye T, Odeyemi I. Real-world incidence and prevalence of low back pain using routinely collected data. Rheumatol Int 2019; 39(4): 619-26.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00296-019-04273-0] [PMID: 30848349]
[4]
Walker BF. The prevalence of low back pain: a systematic review of the literature from 1966 to 1998. J Spinal Disord 2000; 13(3): 205-17.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00002517-200006000-00003] [PMID: 10872758]
[5]
Bejia I, Abid N, Salem KB, et al. Low back pain in a cohort of 622 Tunisian schoolchildren and adolescents: an epidemiological study. Eur Spine J 2005; 14(4): 331-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00586-004-0785-2] [PMID: 15940479]
[6]
Lambeek LC, van Tulder MW, Swinkels ICS, Koppes LLJ, Anema JR, van Mechelen W. The trend in total cost of back pain in The Netherlands in the period 2002 to 2007. Spine 2011; 36(13): 1050-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181e70488] [PMID: 21150697]
[7]
Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet 2018; 391(10137): 2356-67.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30480-X] [PMID: 29573870]
[8]
Klein BP, Jensen RC, Sanderson LM. Assessment of workers’ compensation claims for back strains/sprains. J Occup Environ Med 1984; 26(6): 443-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00043764-198406000-00017] [PMID: 6234383]
[9]
Taimela S, Kujala UM, Salminen JJ, Viljanen T. The prevalence of low back pain among children and adolescents. A nationwide, cohort-based questionnaire survey in Finland. Spine 1997; 22(10): 1132-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199705150-00013] [PMID: 9160472]
[10]
Sjolie AN. Low-back pain in adolescents is associated with poor hip mobility and high body mass index. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2004; 14(3): 168-75.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2003.00334.x] [PMID: 15144357]
[11]
American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment spring 2007 reference group data report (abridged). J Am Coll Health 2008; 56(5): 469-80.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JACH.56.5.469-480] [PMID: 18400658]
[12]
AlShayhan FA, Saadeddin M. Prevalence of low back pain among health sciences students. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 2018; 28(2): 165-70.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00590-017-2034-5] [PMID: 28856452]
[13]
Vujcic I, Stojilovic N, Dubljanin E, Ladjevic N, Ladjevic I, Sipetic-Grujicic S. Low back pain among medical students in belgrade (Serbia): A cross-sectional study. Pain Res Manag 2018; 2018: 1-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/8317906] [PMID: 29623146]
[14]
Moroder P, Runer A, Resch H, Tauber M. Low back pain among medical students. Acta Orthop Belg 2011; 77(1): 88-92.
[PMID: 21473452]
[15]
Questionnaire sur la santé musculo-squelettique des travailleurs [En ligne]. DSSB Available from: https://www.irsst.qc.ca/media/documents/PubIRSST/RG1-270.pdf [cited at 18/05/2022]
[16]
Questionnaire d'évaluation de la capacité fonctionnelle [En ligne]. DSSB. Available from: https://www.fedris.be/sites/default/files/assets/FR/Documentation_medicale/Documentation_lombalgie/Autres/oswestryfr.pdf [cited at 18/05/2022]
[17]
Alshagga MA, Nimer AR, Yan LP, Ibrahim IAA, Al-Ghamdi SS, Radman Al-Dubai SA. Prevalence and factors associated with neck, shoulder and low back pains among medical students in a Malaysian Medical College. BMC Res Notes 2013; 6(1): 244.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-6-244] [PMID: 23815853]
[18]
Smith DR, Wei N, Ishitake T, Wang RS. Musculoskeletal disorders among Chinese medical students. Kurume Med J 2005; 52(4): 139-46.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2739/kurumemedj.52.139] [PMID: 16639985]
[19]
Hafeez K, Ahmed MA, Jawaid M, Usman S, Usman S, Haroon S. Back pain - are health care undergraduates at risk? Iran J Public Health 2013; 42(8): 819-25.
[PMID: 26056635]
[20]
Algarni AD, Al-Saran Y, Al-Moawi A, Bin Dous A, Al-Ahaideb A, Kachanathu SJ. The prevalence of and factors associated with neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at University Hospitals in Central Saudi Arabia. Pain Res Treat 2017; 2017: 1-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/1235706] [PMID: 29238618]
[21]
Amelot A, Mathon B, Haddad R, Renault MC, Duguet A, Steichen O. Low back pain among medical students. Spine 2019; 44(19): 1390-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000003067] [PMID: 31261281]
[22]
Anand T, Aggarwal N, Kishore J, Ingle G. Low back pain and associated risk factors among undergraduate students of a medical college in Delhi. Educ Health 2013; 26(2): 103-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1357-6283.120702] [PMID: 24200731]
[23]
Yucel H, Torun P. Incidence and risk factors of low back pain in students studying at a Health University. Bezmialem Sci 2016; 4(1): 12-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.14235/bs.2016.618]
[24]
Vijay S, Ide M. Musculoskeletal neck and back pain in undergraduate dental students at a UK dental school — a cross-sectional study. Br Dent J 2016; 221(5): 241-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.642] [PMID: 27608577]
[25]
Crawford RJ, Volken T, Schaffert R, Bucher T. Higher low back and neck pain in final year Swiss health professions’ students: worrying susceptibilities identified in a multi-centre comparison to the national population. BMC Public Health 2018; 18(1): 1188.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6105-2] [PMID: 30340573]
[26]
Falavigna A, Teles AR, Mazzocchin T, et al. Increased prevalence of low back pain among physiotherapy students compared to medical students. Eur Spine J 2011; 20(3): 500-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00586-010-1646-9] [PMID: 21136121]
[27]
Gilkey DP, Keefe TJ, Peel JL, Kassab OM, Kennedy CA. Risk factors associated with back pain: a cross-sectional study of 963 college students. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2010; 33(2): 88-95.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.12.005] [PMID: 20170773]
[28]
Green BN, Johnson CD, Haldeman S, et al. A scoping review of biopsychosocial risk factors and co-morbidities for common spinal disorders. PLoS One 2018; 13(6): e0197987.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197987] [PMID: 29856783]
[29]
Smith DR, Leggat PA. Musculoskeletal disorders among rural Australian nursing students. Aust J Rural Health 2004; 12(6): 241-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1854.2004.00620.x] [PMID: 15615575]
[30]
Katz JN, Amick BC III, Carroll BB, Hollis C, Fossel AH, Coley CM. Prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in college students. Am J Med 2000; 109(7): 586-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9343(00)00538-6] [PMID: 11063961]
[31]
Han TS, Schouten JSAG, Lean MEJ, Seidell JC. The prevalence of low back pain and associations with body fatness, fat distribution and height. Int J Obes 1997; 21(7): 600-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800448] [PMID: 9226492]
[32]
Burdorf A, Sorock G. Positive and negative evidence of risk factors for back disorders. Scand J Work Environ Health 1997; 23(4): 243-56.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.217] [PMID: 9322815]
[33]
Heneweer H, Vanhees L, Picavet SJH. Physical activity and low back pain: A U-shaped relation? Pain 2009; 143(1): 21-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2008.12.033] [PMID: 19217208]
[34]
Yabe Y, Hagiwara Y, Sekiguchi T, et al. Late bedtimes, short sleeping time, and longtime video-game playing are associated with low back pain in school-aged athletes. Eur Spine J 2018; 27(5): 1112-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-5177-5] [PMID: 28608176]
[35]
Nyland LJ, Grimmer KA. Is undergraduate physiotherapy study a risk factor for low back pain? A prevalence study of LBP in physiotherapy students. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2003; 4(1): 22.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-4-22] [PMID: 14536021]
[36]
Ayanniyi O, Mbada CE, Muolokwu CA. Prevalence and profile of back pain in Nigerian adolescents. Med Princ Pract 2011; 20(4): 368-73.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000323766] [PMID: 21576999]
[37]
Ekpenyong CE, Daniel NE, Aribo EO. Associations between academic stressors, reaction to stress, coping strategies and musculoskeletal disorders among college students. Ethiop J Health Sci 2013; 23(2): 98-112.
[PMID: 23950626]
[38]
Almhdawi KA, Mathiowetz V, Al-Hourani Z, Khader Y, Kanaan SF, Alhasan M. Musculoskeletal pain symptoms among allied health professions’ students: Prevalence rates and associated factors. J Back Musculoskeletal Rehabil 2017; 30(6): 1291-301.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BMR-169669] [PMID: 28946521]
[39]
Kennedy C, Kassab O, Gilkey D, Linnel S, Morris D. Psychosocial factors and low back pain among college students. J Am Coll Health 2008; 57(2): 191-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JACH.57.2.191-196] [PMID: 18809536]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
Article Metrics
1
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy