Relationship of low back pain to physical activity and psychological factors in nurses/care workers engaged in the care of the elderly

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K17497
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Gerontological nursing
• Research Institution: Akita University
• Principal Investigator: NAGATA Minaka 秋田大学, 医学系研究科, 講師 (10461716)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 高齢者看護 / 高齢者介護 / 腰痛 / 腰痛予防対策 / 日常生活 / 心理的要因

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Care workers/nurses in long-term care insurance facilities throughout Japan were surveyed to analyze the relationship between low back pain and adoption of measures to prevent low back pain and between low back pain and factors such as daily life activities and the environment. Low back pain affected daily life activities by exerting an influence on posture maintenance, walking and sleeping. In addition, circumstances that forced the care workers/nurses to excessively concentrate their efforts on their work and satisfaction with the job/intention to continue working were also speculated as being involved in the occurrence of low back pain. The findings suggested that as low back pain preventive measures, it is important to reduce the physical/psychological load and create a working environment that would keep the care workers/nurses motivated to work.

Free Research Field

高齢者看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高齢者ケアの現場では、介護・看護職員の腰痛の増加が顕著である。腰痛は離職意向にも影響するといわれており、人材確保の観点からも重要な課題である。高齢者の安全や生活の質を保証するためにも職員の腰痛予防が重要であるが、腰痛に関連する要因および福祉機器・補助具の利用、導入をはじめとする取り組みや効果に関する報告は少ない。高齢者ケアに従事する介護・看護職の腰痛と腰痛予防への取り組み、腰痛に関連する要因について調査した結果を分析し、腰痛発生要因の検討や予防対策の基礎的資料とする。