BMJ Public Health. 2026 Feb 25;4(1):e003858. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2025-003858. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Low back pain (LBP) is a serious health issue that may impact a person at some point in their life, which negatively impacts the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of those affected people. This study aimed to investigate the HRQOL of patients with LBP in Bangladesh.
METHODS: A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2024 and February 2025, including 369 patients with LBP. This study recruited both male and female individuals aged 18 to 60 years with a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, as well as bivariate and multivariate analyses, were conducted to analysed the data. The significance level was set at <0.05.
RESULTS: Widowed/divorced LBP survivors encounter significantly greater challenges in mobility (adjusted OR (aOR) 29.37, 95% CI 4.75 to 181.87) and self-care (aOR 8.30, 95% CI 1.51 to 45.83) relative to single/married survivors. Individuals with a previous history of spinal surgery experienced significant challenges in self-care (aOR 4.78, 95% CI 1.01 to 22.64) and usual activity (aOR 4.78, 95% CI 1.01 to 22.64), in comparison to those without such surgical history. LBP survivors experiencing severe pain exhibited a 13-fold increase in mobility (aOR 12.91, 95% CI 1.26 to 132.48), nearly a 7-fold increase in self-care (aOR 6.78, 95% CI 1.85 to 23.56), approximately a 15-fold increase in usual activity (aOR 14.56, 95% CI 2.45 to 46.12) and nearly 13-fold increases in anxiety/depression (aOR 12.67, 95% CI 1.78 to 32.07) when compared with patients with mild pain.
CONCLUSION: This study indicated that patients with LBP reported having problems in multiple dimensions of quality of life. Several factors drive LBP, which is associated with significant disability and overall HRQOL. Multidisciplinary management strategies, especially those targeted toward improving pain control and physical and psychological well-being, could reduce disability and improve quality of life.
PMID:41789369 | PMC:PMC12959047 | DOI:10.1136/bmjph-2025-003858
