Prevalence of Low Back Pain Among Nurses in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State

Low back pain is one of the most prevalent occupational health complaints among nursing professionals worldwide, driven by patient handling, prolonged standing, and physically demanding care activities. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of occupational low back pain among nurses at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, with 180 nurses recruited through stratified random sampling from various wards. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used alongside a structured occupational risk factor assessment tool. Results showed that 71.1 percent of nurses reported low back pain in the previous 12 months, of which 43.4 percent described it as activity-limiting. Key risk factors included manual patient transfers without assistive devices (reported by 86.7%), prolonged standing shifts exceeding 10 hours, and inadequate rest between duty periods. Age above 35 years and time in the nursing profession of more than 10 years were significantly associated with greater low back pain severity. Formal training in safe patient handling techniques had not been received by 74.4 percent of respondents. The study recommends the procurement of patient lifting aids, compulsory manual handling training, ergonomic ward design reviews, and the establishment of a low back pain surveillance registry within the occupational health unit of JUTH. Keywords: low back pain, nurses, manual handling, occupational ergonomics, Plateau State.