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Association of sedentary behavior and early engagement in physical activity with low back pain in adolescents: a cross-sectional epidemiological study

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the association of sedentary behavior and physical activity from childhood to adolescence with prevalence of low back pain in adolescents. In addition, we also explored whether sleep quality influences this association.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study. Participants (aged 10–17 years) were recruited from public and private schools in Brazil. Sedentary behavior and previous and current engagement in physical activity were assessed through questionnaires. Low back pain and sleep quality were assessed by the Nordic questionnaire and Mini-Sleep Questionnaire, respectively. Sex, age, body mass index, abdominal obesity, socioeconomic status and sleep quality were used as potential confounders. Binary logistic regression models were used to generate values of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).

Results

A total of 1,001 (44,5% boys; n = 446) were included. Overall prevalence of low back pain was 18%, with higher rates among inactive and sedentary participants. Physical inactivity from childhood to adolescence in combination with high sedentary behavior doubled the likelihood of having low back pain (OR = 2.40 [95%CI: 1.38–4.18]), independent of potential confounders. Sleep quality attenuates, but not eliminates, this association (OR = 2.19 [95%CI: 1.25–3.84]).

Conclusion

Being inactive from childhood to adolescence in combination with high sedentary behavior is associated with low back pain in adolescents. Sleep quality seems to attenuate, but not eliminate, this association.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) - Finance code 001, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Ítalo Ribeiro Lemes & Rafael Zambelli Pinto

  2. Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil

    Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira

  3. Department of Physical Education, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil

    Gabriela C. R. Silva, William R. Tebar & Diego G. Christofaro

Authors
  1. Ítalo Ribeiro Lemes
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  2. Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira
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  3. Gabriela C. R. Silva
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  4. Rafael Zambelli Pinto
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  5. William R. Tebar
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  6. Diego G. Christofaro
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Contributions

CBO, GCRS, RZP, WRT and DGC participated in the conception and design of the work. All authors participated in the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. IRL, CBO, WRT and DGC drafted the work. All authors revised it critically for important intellectual content and approved the version to be published. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ítalo Ribeiro Lemes.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, Brazil.

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Parents or guardians of participants signed a standard written consent form.

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Lemes, Í.R., Oliveira, C.B., Silva, G. et al. Association of sedentary behavior and early engagement in physical activity with low back pain in adolescents: a cross-sectional epidemiological study. Eur Spine J 31, 152–158 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-021-07004-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-021-07004-x

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