Association of Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Level with Functional Disability among Undergraduate Students with Mechanical Low Back Pain
Abstract: Background: Mechanical low back pain (LBP) is common among university students, and body mass index (BMI) and physical activity may be related to associated functional limitations. Objective: To examine the associations of BMI category with physical activity level, measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire?Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and with functional disability, measured by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), among undergraduate students with mechanical LBP. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study included 130 undergraduate students with mechanical LBP. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. Associations of BMI category with activity category and with disability category were assessed using chi-square tests, supplemented by exact tests because some expected cell counts were small. Results: Normal BMI was observed in 50.0% of participants, 48.5% had high physical activity, and 49.2% had minimal disability. BMI category was not significantly associated with physical activity category (p = 0.057), whereas a significant association was observed between BMI category and disability category (p = 0.001). Conclusion: BMI category was associated with functional disability but not with physical activity category in this sample. The cross-sectional design does not establish causality, and the obese subgroup was very small. Further studies using larger samples and adjustment for potential confounding factors are needed to clarify these relationships.
Keywords: Low back pain; Body Mass Index; Physical activity; Undergraduate students; International Physical Activity Questionnaire; Oswestry Disability Index
How to Cite?: Dr. C. Shanthi, K. Lakshmi Pavani, Jitta Ramya Sree, Dr. K. Madhavi, "Association of Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Level with Functional Disability among Undergraduate Students with Mechanical Low Back Pain", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 310-313, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR261002215710, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR261002215710