Prevalence of LBP among physicians in Erbil city

Abstract

Background: Physicians are always exposed to work-related risk factors that may result in many diseases. Many studies showed the high prevalence of LBP (LBP) among physicians in comparison to other musculoskeletal diseases. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of LBP among physicians in Erbil city and to detect its related risk factors. Subjects and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians from all specialties inside two tertiary hospitals from Feb 1st, 2021 to Aug 2021.  A questionnaire prepared by the investigator was used for data collection. The severity of LBP was assessed by a visual analog scale: from 1-3 was considered mild pain, 4-6 was moderate, and 7-10 was severe pain. Results: It has been found that the mean BMI difference between the two groups, with and without LBP, was (27.84 ± 1.18Vs 25.46 ± 1.28) with a significant p= 0.003. The proportion with irregular sleep was (83.07% Vs 22.53%) among both groups respectively with a statistically significant p=0.032. The overall prevalence rate of LBP among physicians was 78.6%; 71.4% were males and only 28.6% were females with a significant p=0.001. The result of logistic regression for the overweight, obese, regular sleeping, and lifting heavy objects, OR with 95% confidence intervals, were; 3.40 (0.37-30.6), 2.36(0.5-10.3), 1.57(0.99-2.48), and 2.63(1.63-4.25) respectively. Conclusion: the prevalence of LBP among physicians appears to be high and constitutes a major health concern. The BMI, lifting heavy objects, and sleep patterns were good predictors of LBP among physicians.