Correlation of Prolonged Sitting Time and Sitting Posture on Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study among Medical Students at Universitas Sumatera Utara

Background: Low Back Pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal disorder in the world. Medical students, particularly those who use computers for study purposes, are more vulnerable to LBP due to prolonged sitting times and improper sitting posture during lectures. However, prior research showed that the prevalence of LBP among medical students appeared lower when they were enrolled during online pandemic learning. Hence, this research is performed to determine the correlation between the duration of sitting and sitting posture on the incidence of LBP among medical students in Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study with an analytical descriptive design was conducted in September 2023 among randomly selected 147 medical students at Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. The inclusion criteria of the research sample are students with BMI< 23 kg/m2 while the exclusion criteria are students who have abnormalities and a history of trauma or spinal fractures. Data was obtained from filling out questionnaires of The Pain and Distress Scale (PAD) and Body Awareness of Postural Habit in Young People (BAPHY). A Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze data with a p-value < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: The study's findings revealed that 40.1% of students reported having LBP problems, 72.1% reported sitting for more than seven hours each day, and 33.3% reported having a bad sitting posture. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant correlation between sitting duration and posture on complaints of lower back pain (RR = 1.69, p = 0.041 and RR = 1.69, p = 0.009). At a risk of 2,438 times, sitting posture is the main factor contributing to LBP among medical students at Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. Conclusions: This research showed a significant correlation between duration and sitting posture on the incidence of low back pain.