Low back pain and associated factors among auto mechanics in two suburbs of Accra, Ghana - A cross-sectional study

Background: Universally, work-related illness and injury continue to be of great concern because it is the principal cause of surge in work productivity. It is estimated to cost nearly $2.8 trillion (4%) of annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to sickness absence, lost workday, worker's compensation and daily production interruption. Amongst these work-related illness and injuries, musculoskeletal pain is rife. It is projected to constitute about 32% of work-related injuries. Musculoskeletal pain affects most body parts of the individual. It may affect the neck, shoulders, back, thighs, elbow, wrists, or legs. Leading amongst these is the low back accounting for over 60% of all musculoskeletal pain. Low back pain is almost ubiquitous amongst all class of professionals. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional study design with a quantitative approach to determine the factors influencing the risk of developing low back pain amongst auto mechanics. Participants were selected using multistage random sampling. Fisher's exact test and Logistic regression were employed to test association and predict the likelihood to experience low back pain. Results: Of the192 total Auto Mechanics who participated in the two communities (Korle Gonno and Mamprobi), 80% were "Apprentices", 11.5% were "Masters", and the remaining 9.9% are "Coworkers". The prevalence of Low Back Pain (LBP) among the studied respondents was high (92.1%). However, the back pain intensity level shows that 21.9% of respondents have Minimal disability, 62.0% have Moderate disability, and 9.4% have severe disability, while 6.8% of the participants are crippled. The study realized that factors influencing the risk of developing LBP include job support, the level of knowledge, and the position held in the job. Conclusion: The prevalence of LBP amongst study participants was high, with most of the studied participants experiencing moderate disability. Nevertheless, majority of them had adequate knowledge of body mechanic techniques. Job support, Job Position and Knowledge were found to significantly influence the determination of the condition among study recruits.