Association between back pain, physical fitness and body composition in adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Back pain can have a multifactorial origin, including issues related to physical and functional aspects. Objective: To investigate the association between back pain, physical fitness and body composition in adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional
observational study was carried out with the participation of 120 adolescents between 13 and 15 years of age, being 65 girls. For the investigation of back pain, The Young Spine Questionnaire questionnaire was applied, being considered as having back pain
the answers “often” and “once in a while” to the question “how often do you have back pain?”. Physical fitness was investigated using the Proesp-Brasil battery, consisting of the following tests: 6-minute run/walk, horizontal jump, abdominal endurance,
explosive strength of upper limbs, 20 m run, agility, sit and reach, in addition to the wingspan and the Body Mass Index. Body composition was estimated by the anthropometric method, with the percentage of fat, lean mass and fat mass being calculated. The verification of the association between back pain and independent variables was performed using a multivariate logistic regression model (JASP 0.14). Results: The main findings were: (a) the group had a high prevalence of back pain, almost 75%; (b) body composition was not associated with back pain and (c) the 6-minute run/walk and 20-m run tests were shown to be associated with back pain, as a protective effect. Conclusion: In the sample of adolescents studied, variables related to physical fitness – cardiorespiratory fitness and speed – were associated with a lower chance of back pain.