Background:

Low back pain is common among nurses and nursing technicians, although they perform different professional activities.

Objective:

To compare the lifestyle, the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, and the pain perception of nurses and nursing technicians with low back pain.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive, and analytical study. Fifty-three professionals working in hospital settings met the criteria. These professionals answered an adapted questionnaire and the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST-Brazil). Pain was measured by the Visual Analog Scale.

Results:

The sample consisted of 53 female professionals, of whom 81% were nursing technicians and 19% were nurses. Concerning the sociodemographic characteristics, a significant difference was found only for socioeconomic class (p = 0.039). The analysis of the work characteristics by professional category also revealed a statistical difference for the work shift (p = 0.001).

Conclusion:

Although nurses and nursing technicians have different professional activities, a significant difference was only found for socioeconomic class and work shift. The other variables were not associated with the professional category. These findings are essential to developing new strategies for preventing low back pain.

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