Presenteeism and Associated Factors Among Nursing Personnel with Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

A decrease in work productivity due to presenteeism among healthcare workers with low back pain (LBP) is a major problem in the workplace. It is important to determine the factors associated with presenteeism to successfully manage work productivity among nursing staff with LBP. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with presenteeism among nursing personnel with LBP through the evaluation of several aspects, including individual, occupational, and psychological factors.

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 668 nursing personnel who had experienced LBP within the 4 weeks before study enrollment at a tertiary hospital in Japan. Information on demographics (eg, sex, age, height, weight, etc.), LBP intensity (Numerical Rating Scale, NRS), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11, TSK-11), depressive condition (K6), workaholism, overworking hours, frequency of shift work, sleep problem, work-related stress, and presenteeism (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health) were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions were applied to examine the factors related to presenteeism. We further used a multiple imputation by chained equations for missing data in the model.

Multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting for covariates showed that NRS (regression coefficient β = 2.275), TSK-11 (1.112), K6 (0.616), and sleep duration (-1.990) were significantly associated with presenteeism. These results with complete-case analyses were similar to those with multiple imputation analyses.

Psychological factors, such as kinesiophobia and depressive symptoms, were associated with presenteeism independently of LBP intensity among nursing staff with LBP. Our findings suggest that the above-mentioned factors may need to be considered for the development of strategies to increase work productivity among nursing staff with LBP.