Prevalence and Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Primiparous Women Visiting Maternity Hospitals During Different Months of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the pleasant periods of a woman’s life that turns into a bitter experience by common complications such as low back pain (LBP). Due to prevailing climatic conditions in Iran and the harmful social norms concerning Iranian women, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of pregnancy-related LBP and its influencing factors during different months of pregnancy.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 550 pregnant women for LBP who were eligible based on the inclusion criteria. The research instruments were a demographic questionnaire, a LBP examination, and the visual analog scale (VAS). The obtained data were analyzed using the chi-square test, the independent t test, and multiple logistic regression in SPSS 20, and a P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The prevalence of LBP was 67.27%, and the most important factors influencing pregnancy-related LBP were maternal age (OR=950, P<0.008), gestational age (OR=1.023, P=0.015), body mass index (OR=802, P=0.045), duration of sitting (OR=1.812, P=0.036), and the duration of standing (OR=1.625, P=0.042).

Overall, there was a high prevalence of pregnancy-related LBP in primiparous women in the present study and its predisposing risk factors included advanced maternal age, obesity, and low level of ability to sit and stand for a long time.