Prevalence of Lower Back Pain and its Relationship with Driving Postures among Drivers in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

Lower back pain (LBP) is well-known as the most common musculoskeletal condition with 80% of lifetime prevalence. The effects of LBP on cultural, social, and public health continue to increase. It brings in billions of dollars of medical costs. This study assessed the prevalence of LBP among car drivers with the wrong driving position in Taif.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study using an electronic questionnaire in English translated to Arabic, which included questions about driving with wrong postures, lower back pain, and its correlation.

RESULTS

91.1% of participants satisfied our inclusion criteria for the data analysis. The prevalence of lower back pain in this study was about 44.1% (n = 659). It was more among those aged >40 years (50.9%) compared to other age groups, which showed a statistically significant association (P < 0.001). It was found that 54.4% (n = 813) had been driving in a wrong posture, and there was a strong association observed between this wrong posture and LBP (51.8%) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of LBP was high among drivers. This study calls for implanting health education and awareness programs about LBP and its risk factors.