Prevalence of Back Pain in Secondary School Students in an Urban Population: Cross-sectional Study

Introduction The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among secondary school students is increasing. The magnitude of the problem is not well quantified. Evidence shows LBP in adolescents can be a significant risk factor for back pain in adulthood. The present study aimed to determine the lifetime prevalence of LBP among secondary school students from schools of an urban metropolitan city and the prevalence of LBP in the presence of associated factors. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was done using a validated semi-structured questionnaire (N = 555; response rate, 85.3%). Secondary school students between the age of 12 and 15 years from three randomly selected urban secondary schools of Mumbai, India were recruited for the study. Results We analyzed the data for prevalence and odds ratios (OR), and we conducted a univariate analysis to determine the significance of LBP prevalence. We found the lifetime prevalence of LBP was high (32.9%). The prevalence of LBP was highly significant (p < .0001) among girls (confidence interval [CI]: 1.5 to 3.2; OR: 2.2), those who felt their school satchel was heavy (CI: 1.7 to 3.5; OR: 2.4) and those who watched television (TV; CI: 0.03 to 0.28; OR: 0.09). Conclusion We noted a high prevalence of LBP among adolescents. LBP had a significantly high prevalence among girls and in the presence of factors like a heavy school satchel and watching TV. LBP in adolescence is a significant risk factor in developing back pain in adulthood, and our findings highlight the need for awareness of LBP among stakeholders like educationists, policymakers, medical professionals and parents given the possible detrimental effects on adolescent children.