PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NECK AND LOW BACK PAIN AMONG BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS IN THE KLANG VALLEY

Received 2021-08-19; Accepted 2022-03-23; Published 2022-10-11

Authors

  • Tan Pei Yuan Faculty of Health & Life Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
  • Vinosh Kumar Purushothaman Faculty of Health & Life Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
  • Yughdtheswari Muniandy Faculty of Health Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
  • Sharmila Gopala Krishna Pillai Faculty of Health & Life Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22452/jummec.vol25no2.20

Keywords:

Breastfeeding, Musculoskeletal pain, Prevalence

Abstract

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months and continued breastfeeding for up to 2 years. Breastfeeding mothers adopt different breastfeeding techniques and positions which predispose various musculoskeletal pain. A cross-sectional study was aimed to identify the prevalence of neck and low back pain and its association with various factors (breastfeeding position, feeding side, mode, technique, duration and total breast-feeding sessions per day) among breastfeeding mothers in the Klang Valley. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence and associated factors of neck and low back pain. A total of 193 breastfeeding mothers responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of neck and low back pain among breastfeeding mothers in the Klang Valley was 58% and 69.4%, respectively. There was no significant association between the prevalence of neck and low back pain with various risk factors as the p-values were > 0.05, except for significant association of total breastfeeding sessions per day for neck pain with p = 0.02. Musculoskeletal pain is common among breastfeeding mothers in the Klang Valley, with a higher prevalence of low back pain compared to neck pain.

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Published

2022-10-11

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Research article

License

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