Prevalence of nonspecific lumbar pain and associated factors among adolescents in Uruguaiana, state of Rio Grande do Sul☆☆☆

OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of nonspecific lumbar pain and associated factors among adolescents in Uruguaiana, state of Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS This was a cross-sectional school-based study conducted among adolescents aged 10-17 years who were enrolled in the day shift of the municipal and state educational systems of Uruguaiana. This study evaluated 1455 adolescents. The data-gathering procedures involved two stages. Firstly, a questionnaire on sociodemographic indicators, behavioral patterns and habits of the daily routine and history of nonspecific lumbar pain was applied. Subsequently, height, body mass, flexibility and abdominal strength/resistance measurements were evaluated. To analyze the data, univariate, bivariate and multivariable methods were used and the significance level was taken to be 5% for all the tests. RESULTS The prevalence of lumbar pain among the adolescents evaluated was 16.1%. Grouped according to sex, the prevalence among males was 10.5% and among females, 21.6%. The variables of sex, body mass index, abdominal strength/resistance and physical activity level presented statistically significant associations with nonspecific lumbar pain. In the adjusted analysis, sex (OR = 2.36; p < 0.001), age (OR = 1.14; p < 0.001) and body mass index (OR = 1.44; p = 0.029) maintained significance in the final model. CONCLUSIONS Female adolescents of older age and who presented overweight or obesity had higher chances of developing nonspecific lumbar pain.