The Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Nurses at a University Hospital in the Eastern Area of São Paulo

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of low back pain in nurses at a university hospital in São Paulo and establish a relationship with social aspects. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, through the application of a questionnaire containing social questions(weight, age, height, work sector, working hours, physical activity, presence and frequency of low back pain) in addition to the Oswestry questionnaire. Results: One hundred fifty-three nurses participated in the study. Of these, 92.30% of the women and 73.91% of the men presented low back pain, with a third classifying the pain as sporadic. In relation to BMI, pain is lower in those who are underweight (60%) and higher among those who are overweight (96.77%). Most of the sample was sedentary (66%), and of these, 96% had low back pain. There was no difference in the comparison by working hours, in relation to work sector, pain was more present in the following sectors: coordination (100%); children’s ward (92%); adult emergency room (90%) and adult ICU (31%). Thirty nurses worked double shifts, and of these, 90% reported low back pain, while among those who worked only at the university hospital, 89.4% reported pain. In relation to working hours, the longer the working day, the greater the pain. In the function assessment (Oswestry), 99 participants obtained a value of up to 30% disability. Conclusion: Based on the results of this work, it is concluded that there is a high prevalence of low back pain in nurses at the Hospital Universitário; however, it was not possible to determine a direct risk factor associated with this high prevalence. Level of Evidence IV; Cross-sectional study.