The association between back pain, individual determinants, and posture habits among schoolchildren in Iran

Back pain is considered as a public health problem and it may be predictive of adult disability, and is on the rise among the schoolchildren population. The aim of this study was to explore the association between back pain, posture habits and individual factors (knowledge, self-efficacy, beliefs, and behavior) among schoolchildren. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect the demographics characteristics, individual factors, posture habits, and back pain. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between variables. Among 610 pupils, the prevalence of back pain was 23.6% (n = 144). There were 530 (86.9%) pupils that indicated that they had carried the school backpack of ideal posture. There were significant relationships between the sitting at work on the computer (p = 0.006, OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.11-2.49) and on a chair (p = 0.021, OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.01 - 2.57) habits with back pain respectively. Self-efficacy significantly associated with back pain (p = 0.001). Similarly, individual factors significantly associated with posture habits. The findings suggest that back care educational programmes are needed to address individual factors in order to promote proper posture habits and reduce backache.