Rural health research is helping shine a light on a common problem that affects millions of people worldwide. A new publication involving Professor Chris Williams from UCRH, as part of the Back2Health Consortium, outlines a major clinical trial that will explore whether lifestyle support can improve outcomes for people living with persistent low back pain and overweight or obesity.
Published in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, the paper,“(Cost-)effectiveness of a combined lifestyle intervention integrated into standard care for low back pain compared to usual care for people with persistent non-specific low back pain who are overweight or obese: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial with parallel economic and process evaluations (Back2Health)”, describes the design of the Back2Health study.
Low back pain is often linked with lifestyle factors such as low physical activity, poor sleep, unhealthy diet and excess weight. While these factors can influence a person’s recovery and wellbeing, they are not routinely addressed as part of standard care for non-specific low back pain.
The Back2Health study will recruit 318 adults from hospitals across the Netherlands. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either an integrated lifestyle intervention or usual care. The intervention will be delivered by physiotherapists trained as lifestyle coaches and will support people to improve physical activity, diet, sleep and stress management.
Researchers will follow participants for 36 months, measuring changes in physical functioning and daily physical activity. The study will also examine outcomes including pain levels, sleep, diet and markers of inflammation. Alongside the clinical trial, the team will conduct economic and process evaluations to better understand how the intervention works and whether it represents good value for health services.
The findings could help shape future approaches to managing persistent low back pain by bringing lifestyle support into everyday healthcare.
