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Abstract
Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal (MSK) ailment inthegeneral population. Weightlifting is a popular activity that puts so much strain on the body'smuscles and predisposes athletes to LBP. The lower back is the most often damaged bodypart inweightlifting and weightlifting is the one that increases the risk of LBP in all sports. Thereisadearth of knowledge regarding the association between LBP and weightlifting among universitystudents. Aim: The study aims to investigate the prevalence of low back pain and determine it's potential risk factors among weightlifting and non-weightlifting undergraduate students of the Universityof Benin. Methods: A total of 104 students comprising of 52 weightlifters and 52 non-weightlifters wereselected across the university with the use of snowball and convenience sampling. Anadaptedversion of the Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to obtain information onsocio-demographic data, weight-lifting characteristics and occurrence of LBP. Descriptive statisticssuch as percentage and inferential statistics such as Chi-square were used to summarise thedata. Alpha level was 0.05. Results: Weightlifters (WLFs) have a higher lifetime prevalence of LBP 82.69(%) comparedtonon-weightlifters (NWLFs) 71.15(%). The difference in between lifetime and 7 days prevalenceamong both weightlifters and non-weightlifters was statistically significant (p=0.000). Frequency of weightlifting was significantly associated with LBP (p= 0.019). Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of low back pain among weightlifting andnon-weightlifting undergraduate students in University of Benin. Significant association were foundbetween frequency of weightlifting with the occurrence of LBP. Keywords: Low back pain, weightlifters , non-weightlifters, prevalence
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