Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

• Fahimeh Kamali Sarvestani ¹
• Somayeh Kavoosipur ²
• Negin Chehrenegar ³
• Mahshid Abdollahi ⁴
• Shima Sabzali ⁴

¹ PhD, Academic Board Member, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

² MSc in Occupational Therapy, Academic Board Member, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

³ MSc in Occupational Therapy, Academic Board Member, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

⁴ BSc in Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: It is estimated that 84% of population experience low back pain at some stage in their life. Given the pivotal role of women, especially rural women, in family management and economic activities and also their key role in society from a national point of view, it is of special importance to find and subsequently prevent the risk factors related to low back pain. So the aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of low back pain risk factors between rural and urban women in Shiraz and surrounding villages.Materials and Methods: 646 women with the age range of 18-60 years were selected through convenient sampling. All of them were resident of Shiraz or its surroundings and suffered from low back pain. The data of interest were gathered via a reliable and validated custom-made (Cronbach's Alpha coefficient =0.70). The obtained data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.Results: There was no significant statistical difference between urban and rural groups on the basis of following variables: age, BMI, number of children, pregnancy, osteoarthritis and allergy, typical spinal condition during work, how to sleep, typical time of doing most of work, the average work time , sitting or standing during activity and resting during work time. However, marital status and level of education, doing regular exercise, daily smoking, how to transport heavy objects, bed type, working more than eight hours daily during the past six months, the total resting time during activity and the number of seeking medical advice for spinal discomfort during the past six months showed significant differences between two groups (P = 0.0001).Conclusion: Despite of demographic similarities between urban and rural women evaluated in this study, the existent difference in such factors as bed type, regular exercise, amount of smoking and amount of standing position time among these two groups can lead to more reports of low back pain in rural women.Keywords: Risk factors, Low back pain, women resident