Prevalence and associated occupational factors of low back pain among the bank employees in Dhaka City

Abstract

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the common health problems among full-time office employees that causes absenteeism from work. The aim of the study is to identify the association between occupational factors and LBP among full-time bank employees in Dhaka City.

Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 593 full-time bank employees who were engaged in sedentary works. The 1-month complaint of LBP was measured using a subscale of subjective health complaints inventory. Multivariable logistic models were performed to identify variables related to LBP, and a random forest technique was performed to determine the top five important variables.

Results: The 1-month prevalence for LBP was found to be 36.6% among the bank employees, and the prevalence was the highest (64.3%) for the 51- to 59-year-old age group. The regression analysis indicates that respondents from both agegroups, 41-50 years (OR = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10-3.69) and 51-59 years age groups (OR = 5.14, 95% CI = 2.05-13.64), are significantly associated with LBP. Furthermore, obesity (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.01-4.21), and prolong working hours (>9 hours) (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.01-2.0) are positively associated with LBP. The top five important variables for LBP identified by random forest technique are: age, length of employment, prolong office hours, presence of chronic illness, and physical activity.

Conclusion: LBP is highly prevalent in full-time bank employees. The occupational factors, including the length of employment (>10 years) and long working hours, play a significant role in developing LBP among bank employees. Moreover, several factors, including age, chronic illness, obesity, and physical activity, should be taken into account in the prevention of LBP in bank employees.