A Study to Determine the Prevalence and Knowledge of Low Back Pain among Students of Selected Nursing Institutions in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka

Study Design Survey approach and explorative survey design was used to study the prevalence of Low Back Pain among student nurses. Objectives To determine the prevalence of low back pain among students of selected nursing institutions. Summary of background data Low back pain has been considered a wide spread public health concern. Early identification of workers at high risk for disability would facilitate intervention strategies. Methods Questionnaires on knowledge, disability and pain&selected factors were distributed to 284 undergraduate nursing students who have reported to have Low Back Pain out of 829 students. Results Prevalence of LBP was 34.25%&was more in 21-24year age group. Majority of the students had moderate amount of pain. Around 60.91 % of the students were underweight. About 56.6% of the students reported that LBP has affected their academic performance in classes occasionally and 31% of the students reported that few occasions they were absent due to LBP. Majority of the students possess average amount of knowledge regarding LBP. There is significant association between LBP and age group, gender, year of study and BMI. Conclusions There is an urgent need for health promotion programs to increase awareness and reduce risks of Low Back Pain in nursing profession.