Activation for self-management of occupational low back pain and its influencing factors among nurses: A cross-sectional study

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the current situation of nurses’ participant activation for self-management of low back pain, analyze its influencing factors, and provide a reference for improving the participant activation for self-management of low back pain. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 5,120 nurses recruited through convenience sampling from hospitals across 25 provinces and municipalities in China. Participants completed two standardized instruments: General Information Questionnaire which collected demographic characteristics and work-related factors, and the Participant Activation for Self-Management of Back Pain Questionnaire which measured activation levels across three dimensions (including self-management beliefs, self-management awareness, and knowledge related to low back pain). Results: The score of nurses’ participant activation for low back pain self-management was 38.00 (33.00, 44.00). The results of multiple linear regression showed that nurses of different gender, age, and professional titles, whether they had administrative positions, and whether they had back pain in the past year were influencing factors of nurses’ participant activation for low back pain management. Conclusion: The overall participant activation for self-management of low back pain is at a medium level. Their self-management awareness is strong, but their beliefs about management of low back pain are insufficient. Targeted intervention measures can be taken to improve their activation for management of back pain and reduce the incidence of occupational low back pain.