Predictors of Back Pain in Firefighters

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Firefighters face high risks of back injury due to demanding job tasks and hazardous work conditions.
• Back pain is a prevalent issue within the firefighting profession, impacting overall well-being and job performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key demographic, occupational, and psychosocial factors predicting current back pain in firefighters.
• To establish a predictive model for back pain in this high-risk occupational group.

Main Methods:

• A nonexperimental, correlational design was employed.
• A convenience sample of 298 male firefighters completed study questionnaires.
• Data analysis focused on identifying significant predictors of back pain.

Main Results:

• 30.20% of firefighters reported current back pain.
• Occupational stress, age, history of back pain, and body mass index (BMI) were significant predictors of back pain.
• The identified factors explained 35.1% of the variance in back pain (pseudo R² = .351).

Conclusions:

• Occupational stress, age, prior back pain history, and BMI are crucial factors associated with back pain in firefighters.
• The findings provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to mitigate back pain risk in firefighters.
• Further research is recommended to validate the predictive model and explore these relationships in other occupational groups such as nurses and police officers.