Prevalence of low back pain among a group of Turkish men and its effect on quality of life

Objective: To assess the prevalence of Low back pain (LBP) in a Turkish male population, and its impact on their Quality of Life (QoL). Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on people aged 30 years and above in a western town of Turkey between July, 1st and Aug., 31st 2009. The questionnaire included information about the participants' sociodemographic characteristics; information concerning the LBP, and the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale (SF-36) form. The statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square (x(2)), student's t test, and One-Way ANOVA test, with a value of p<0.05 statistically significant. Results: The prevalences of obesity and LBP were 17.1% and 46.3%, respectively. The mean scores for subjects with LBP from all the domains in the SF-36 scale were significantly lower than those of subjects without LBP (p<0.05, per one). The prevalence of those with mechanical LBP was 78.7% and that of those with non mechanical was 21.3%. In all the domains of SF-36, as the severity of LBP increased, the scores received from the domains of SF-36 showed decrease (p<0.05, per one). Conclusion: Low Back Pain (LBP) is very common among men, especially older ages which reduces the quality of life seriously.