A Comparative Study of Back Pain among Taxi and Truck Drivers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Back pain is a common health problem with tremendous cost on the nation, family and individual economy. Back pain has also been associated with professional driving. This study was to determine and compare the prevalence of back pain among taxi and truck drivers. Following ethical approval, this descriptive cross sectional study carried out in Port Harcourt Nigeria, among 278 consenting taxi and truck drivers. Sample size was193 for taxi drivers and 193 for truck drivers respectively however 189 respondents actually participated in the study. A structured close ended interviewer administered questionnaire was administered probing socio-demographics, medical and occupational histories. Data was analyzed using SSPSS version 20. Descriptive and analytical statistics to analyze and present data. The prevalence of back pain in Port Harcourt for taxi drivers was 70.4% and 71.4% for truck drivers. The prevalence among truck drivers was due to age ,sitting position and shock absorbers. However variables like duration of driving, vibration, BMI, seat condition, alcohol and tobacco intake did not have any statistically significant association with back pain among the two groups of drivers. There was a high prevalence of back pain among the two study groups albeit higher among the truckers. It is recommended that all drivers be educated on occupational hazards (especially back pain) associated with their profession.

Keywords: Back pain, taxi driver, truck driver, Port Harcourt