Work-related Factors of Chronic Low Back Pain among Nurses Working in Tehran Hospitals

Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between chronic mechanical low back pain and work-related risky behaviors of nurses at hospitals in Tehran.
In order to determine the relationship between chronic mechanical low back pain and work-related risky behaviors of nurses, a cross-sectional was conducted among nurses in general hospitals in Tehran- Iran from April 17, 2014 to July 16, 2014. Five hundred eligible nurses, who were working in the different wards of under study hospitals, were included in this study. A researcher- designed 50 - item questionnaire was used to collect data. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (alpha=0.91), and test-retest evaluation (ICC=0.94) of the scale confirmed reliability of the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS.v16 through descriptive and analytic tests. P-value Findings: In total, five hundred nurses with mean age of 37.71 6.75 years took part in the study. 168 nurses (33.6%) were male and 332 nurses were (64.4%) female. The majority of nurses who were working more than 15 years (75%) were suffering from low back pain. Low back pain was more prevalent among female nurses (68%) compared to male nurses (32%). Most participants believed that excessive physical tension and hard work at their worksite were the causes of their chronic low back pain. There were no significant differences between two genders in this regard (P>0.5). In contrast with men, the majority of females (N= 222, 66.8%) believed that psychological tensions at work have been the reasons for their chronic low back pain.
Iranian nurses believed that work – related physical and psychosocial factors could result in low back pain.