Community-based self-management of chronic low back pain in a rural African primary care setting: a feasibility study

A small pragmatic non-randomised controlled study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel theory-informed community-based self-management programme targeting the biopsychosocial factors associated with chronic low back pain disability in a rural Nigerian primary care centre. Participants either received the programme, once weekly for 6 weeks, or usual care. The programme combined group exercise sessions with group/individual discussion sessions, informed by cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing. Recruitment rate, intervention delivery, proportion of planned treatment attended, retention/dropout rate, adherence to recommended self-management strategies and biopsychosocial outcomes were used to determine feasibility. Structured qualitative exit feedback interviews ascertained acceptability. Recruitment rate was 100%, treatment uptake was 83% and loss to follow-up was 8%. Greater benefits for the self-management group compared with control were observed for primary and secondary biopsychosocial outcomes. Although the programme appears promising, the exploratory design of this study warrants more rigorous intervention testing following suggested programme improvement.