A cross-sectional hospital-based study of correlates of disability in patients with chronic low back pain in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the leading cause of disability globally and is a major concern in public health. However, there is limited evidence on the prevalence and correlates of disability among adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, this study aimed at determining factors influencing disability among adult patients with CLBP in KwaZulu-Natal. METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted among adult CLBP patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data on disability, fear avoidance beliefs and illness behavior were gathered from 554 adult participants using self-administered questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with disability. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Based on the multivariable linear regression, being a female (β = 0.343, p < 0.001) and fear avoidance beliefs about work (β = 0.221, p = 0.044) were significantly associated with greater disability, while, smoking 1 to 10 cigarettes per day (β = -0.106, p = 0.011) and higher illness behaviour scores (β = -0.165, p = 0.024) were significantly associated with less disability The model accounted for 20% of the total variance in Oswestry disability scores. CONCLUSION: This study has concluded that disability in CLBP is predicted by multiple of factors, with psychosocial factors (fear avoidance beliefs and heavy cigarette smoking) playing a significant role. Manual work was also identified as a significant predictor of CLBP disability. Therefore, guidelines should emphasize on early identification of these yellow flags in primary care. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05397-4.