KNOWLEDGE OF RURAL POPULATION ABOUT LOW BACK PAIN AND ITS RELATED RISK FACTORS- CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background and purpose :Low back pain (LBP) has been reported as a worldwide health problem, affecting individuals physically, socio-economically and psychologically [1].  The global burden of low back pain is the highest ranked condition contributing to years of living with disability.The general public, including patients living with LBP, lack knowledge about the causes and contributing factors of LBP [22].This implies that during management of LBP, patients’ knowledge about their pain should be identified and followed by education regarding their pain.This study aims to find out knowledge of rural population about low back pain and its related risk factors Methodology :This was a cross sectional study conducted on villagers visiting VikhePatil Hospital, Ahmednagar, in a duration of 6 months. The sampling method was convenient sampling with sample size of 100. A self -administered questionnaire consisting of 4 sections in Marathi language was designed. In the first three section, participants were asked about definition of Low back pain. In the fourth section, participants have to answer a 15 question quiz, focusing on general facts, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment options for low back pain. After approval of ethical committee, consent form were collected from the subjects. The questionnaire was given to subjects according to the inclusion criteria. Result & Conclusion:-  The study had 100 subjects. Approximately 58% were males, with 31% between 30-39 age .66% of samples identified the underlying mechanism of low back pain as there is some compression of nerve passing through the vertebra,57% believed cartilage on the ends of vertebra wears down over time.The majority 58% had their source of information about low back pain from other patients suffering from low back pain,54% from the internet and social media, 48% had personal experience and 82% sample knew a relative or a friend suffering  with low back pain. The result of the study concluded that the rural population visiting the VikhePatil Hospital exhibited good knowledge about Low back pain and its risk factors. Some misconceptions about the general facts and risk factors were identified.