Volume 25, Issue 108, February, 2021

Prevalence of low back pain and its relation to stress and study hours among medical students in University of Hail in Saudi Arabia

Khalid Farhan Alshammari^1♦, Othman Mohammad Alassaf², Hammad Yousef Alomaim², Ibrahim Abdullah Alnais², Salem Hmoud Alswayda²

¹Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia
²College of Medicine, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia; Email: kf.alshammari@outlook.com

ABSTRACT

Background: Low Back Pain (LBP) involves the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back are considered a very common disease. It can affect many individuals around the world. The etiology of LBP in relation is influenced by long study hours, high occupational burdens and sedentary lifestyle. We aim to explore the effect of stress and studying on university students at the University of Hail. Methods: This is across-sectional questionnaire-based study involving 197 male and female medical students in University of Hail. It was carried out from May to September 2020 using the standardized Nordic questionnaire to assess low back pain while K10 questionnaire was used to assess the psychological stress. Results: Out of 197 students, 22.3% of medical students reported LBP, with 68.2% reported LBP in the last 7 days. Furthermore, 97.7% and 86.4% of students had LBP that interfered with their work and leisure activities, respectively. The mean stress score was 23.35 ± 9.68 with a significant association between LBP and stress level (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of LBP was 22.3% while the prevalence of stress was 52.3%. Meanwhile, the risk factors associated with worse LBP are being in medical school for more than two years, female gender, obesity and having severe stress level.

Keywords: Low Back Pain, questionnaire, stress, disease

Medical Science, 2021, 25(108), 432-439

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