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Abstract
Background and Purpose
Epidemiological studies on low back pain in residents living in mountainous areas are scarce. The study was aimed at investigating the prevalence and associated factors of low back pain in Chongqing, relatively impoverished mountainous areas of China.
Materials and Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted at selected community or village health service centers in Chongqing over a 2-month period (May 2021 to June 2021), which included adults of Chongqing aged >18 years with or without low back pain (N=1820) chosen by stratified, cluster-sampling. Associated factors of low back pain including sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and occupational features were collected, along with medical history, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODI), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of patients with low back pain, and carried out for at least 20 minutes per respondent. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized for statistical analysis.
Results
Overall, 30.5% of 1704 respondents presented with low back pain, with 26.3% living in flat areas and 35.6% in mountainous areas. The associated factors of low back pain were mountainous area residence (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.8), advanced age (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.5 for those aged 45–59 years, OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.4 for those aged 60–74 years, and OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.6 for those aged ≥75 years), married or remarried (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.2), divorced or widowed (OR 2.7, 95% CI 14–5.4), moderate labor intensity (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.8), frequent stoop (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.4), and depressed mood (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.1). Residents in the mountainous areas had a higher score on Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (8.3 [SD 6.3] vs 6.2 [SD 4.3]) than those in flat areas.
Conclusion
Mountainous areas in Chongqing had higher prevalence of low back pain as 35.6%, compared with 26.3% in flat areas, with more severe dysfunction in low back pain patients. Multifactorial analysis found that the factors associated with low back pain in Chongqing residents included mountain residence, labor intensity, stoop, psychological factors and frequency of exercise.
Abbreviations
LBP, Low back pain; ODI, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire; NRS, Numerical Rating Scale; MCID, Minimum Clinically Important Difference.
Ethics Approval
The Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Scientific Research Ethics Committee (KYLL-202111-060) approved this study. And the study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants gave written informed consent before data collection began.
Acknowledgments
We thank all respondents of the survey for their active cooperation. We are grateful for the support and assistance of Xiushan County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, township government agencies, and township health centers of Xiushan County in this survey process.
Author Contributions
All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. All authors meet the authorship criteria and have read and agreed to the manuscript.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.