Prevalence of nonspecific lumbar pain and associated factors among adolescents in Uruguaiana, state of Rio Grande do Sul()()

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of nonspecific lumbar pain and associated factors among adolescents in Uruguaiana, state of Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional school-based study conducted among adolescents aged 10–17 years who were enrolled in the day shift of the municipal and state educational systems of Uruguaiana. This study evaluated 1455 adolescents. The data-gathering procedures involved two stages. Firstly, a questionnaire on sociodemographic indicators, behavioral patterns and habits of the daily routine and history of nonspecific lumbar pain was applied. Subsequently, height, body mass, flexibility and abdominal strength/resistance measurements were evaluated. To analyze the data, univariate, bivariate and multivariable methods were used and the significance level was taken to be 5% for all the tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of lumbar pain among the adolescents evaluated was 16.1%. Grouped according to sex, the prevalence among males was 10.5% and among females, 21.6%. The variables of sex, body mass index, abdominal strength/resistance and physical activity level presented statistically significant associations with nonspecific lumbar pain. In the adjusted analysis, sex (OR = 2.36; p < 0.001), age (OR = 1.14; p < 0.001) and body mass index (OR = 1.44; p = 0.029) maintained significance in the final model. CONCLUSIONS: Female adolescents of older age and who presented overweight or obesity had higher chances of developing nonspecific lumbar pain.