Low back pain as an occupational risk among supermarket cashiers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Background: Work-related low back pain (LBP) has received growing attention, especially regarding the effect it has on work productivity and activities of daily living (ADL). Supermarket cashiers are at high risk of LBP due to maintaining awkward postures for prolonged periods. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and intensity of LBP among supermarket cashiers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and to identify occupational and non-occupational risk factors for LBP. Methods: Supermarket cashiers from 12 conveniently selected stores of a major South African supermarket franchise were included in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were administered in October and November 2018. Mean LBP disability scores were used as a measure of pain intensity experienced during various activities. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to measure the effect size of different variables on the LBP intensity score. The associations between LBP and both occupational and non-occupational factors were assessed using Fischer's exact test and forward stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results: One hundred and forty-six cashiers participated in the study. Most of the participants reported having minimal LBP (n = 132, 90.4%), indicating that they could cope with most living activities. Based on the mean disability scores, only the effect size of age was large. The odds of having LBP were associated with age 30 years and older (p = 0.001), race other than black African (p = 0.037), and working for more than 10 hours a day (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Reporting of LBP was common among the supermarket cashiers in this study. Older workers are at a higher risk of having LBP, which may be exacerbated by long working hours. Workplace interventions such as ergonomic programmes, structured and defined working hours, and home-based interventions such as exercise therapy, should be implemented.