Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Back Pain Among Nurses at Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi

Low back pain is a highly prevalent occupational health complaint among nurses globally, significantly affecting workforce productivity and quality of patient care. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigates the prevalence of low back pain and its associated risk factors among nurses at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, North Central Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire will be distributed to 150 consenting nursing staff across medical, surgical, and emergency wards. Information on pain characteristics, duration, work-related postures, patient handling frequency, shift duration, physical activity levels, and prior orthopaedic history will be captured. The point and lifetime prevalence of low back pain will be determined, and binary logistic regression used to identify independent predictors. It is expected that manual patient lifting, prolonged standing, and night shift duty will emerge as primary risk factors. Findings will be communicated to the hospital's occupational health department and nursing management for implementation of ergonomic training and workload redistribution policies. This research is particularly relevant given the chronic shortage of nursing staff in Nigerian public hospitals, which amplifies workloads and physical strain. Addressing musculoskeletal health among healthcare workers is essential for sustaining effective patient care delivery in North Central Nigeria and the country at large. Keywords: low back pain, occupational health, nurses, ergonomics, Makurdi.