This study assessed the prevalence of low back pain and factors associated with it among nurses working at public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia.
Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1 to March 20, 2018 among randomly selected 404 nurses working in public hospitals of Harari region and Dire Dawa city administration. Six trained nurses collected the data through a self-administered data collection technique. All variables that yield p< 0.25 in bivariable logistic regression were subjects for multivariable logistic regression analysis. The direction and strength of statistical association were measured by odds ratio with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Finally, statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.
The 12-month prevalence of low back pain was 38.1% [95% CI: 32.7–42.7%]. It was more prevalent among females (65%). More than 5 years of work experience [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =3.135; 95% CI (1.292–7.605)], manual lifting of weight >10kg [AOR=5.260; 95% CI (1.869–14.805)] and working in awkward posture [AOR=3.93; 95% CI (1.109–13.924)] were variables significantly associated with low back pain among nurses.