Adding a back care package to the primary healthcare; a community-based cluster-randomized trial

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Primary Healthcare Interventions

Background:

• Low back pain (LBP) presents a complex clinical challenge with a higher-than-expected rate of chronicity.
• Evidence supporting specific interventions for the general population with LBP remains insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a community-based back care package delivered via primary healthcare in reducing chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Main Methods:

• A cluster-randomized trial involving 11 primary healthcare units and 3521 participants.
• The intervention included exercise and educational booklets, with data collected at baseline, 3, and 9 months.
• Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations (GEE) analyzed LBP prevalence and CLBP incidence.

Main Results:

• At 9 months, the intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in both LBP prevalence (OR=0.44) and CLBP incidence (OR=0.48) compared to the control group.
• Statistical significance was achieved with P < 0.001 for both outcomes.

Conclusions:

• A population-based intervention incorporating exercise and education through primary healthcare effectively reduced LBP prevalence and CLBP incidence.
• Preventing CLBP via accessible primary healthcare packages is a feasible strategy.