Associations between backache and stress among undergraduate students

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 68; no. 1; pp. 61 - 67
• Main Authors: Ben-Ami, Noa, Korn, Liat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 02.01.2020; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Back pain; Body Composition; Body mass index; College students; Correlation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression (Psychology); depression symptoms; Disability; Female; Foreign Countries; Health Behavior; Health status; Human Body; Humans; Low back pain; Low back pain (LBP); Low Back Pain - etiology; Low Back Pain - physiopathology; Male; Mental depression; Older people; Pain; Physical activity; Physical Activity Level; Physical Health; Psychosomatic Disorders; Questionnaires; Sedentary; Self Report; Sex Factors; Smoking; Stress; Stress Variables; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Study Habits; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Undergraduate Students; Universities - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; Young Adults; Israel; undergraduate students; stress; depression symptoms; Low back pain (LBP)
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1515753

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is a very common symptom. It occurs in all age groups from children to the elderly population. Globally, years lived with disability caused by LBP increased by 54% between 1990 and 2015. Our objective was to investigate measures that associate with LBP in students. Participants: A structured, anonymous, self-report questionnaire was distributed in two study years, 2009 and 2015. Participants included 1,026 students, 57.7% of them female, with a mean age of 27.2 (SD = 6.4). Methods: The questionnaire included validated questions on various subjects related to health status and health behaviors. Results: The associated factors of undergraduate students experiencing backaches are higher if they engage in smoking (AOR = 2.15; p<.01), report study-based stress (AOR = 2.39; p<.01), and show depressive symptoms (AOR = 2.69; p<.000). Conclusions: Smoking, stress, and depression are strong measures associated with backache in undergraduate students, significantly more than BMI, physical activity, or sedentary behaviors.