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Background |
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Objectives |
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Scope |
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Methods |
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Participants |
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Status |
The Kovacs Foundation campaigns focus on the prevention of back complaints known as common back pain. These are those where the pain varies depending on posture and tends to worsen with effort. Indeed, they are the most frequent cause of back pain and include diagnoses such as osteoarthritis, herniated disc, dics protrusion, muscular contracture, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis.
Background.
The common back pain is very frequent and restricting. It is estimated that the cost it represents for an industrialized country is approximately 1.7% of its Gross Domestic Product. It tends towards chronicity and recurrence of painful and restricting episodes.
Available studies suggest that prevention is specially important among teenagers, workers and the elderly.
Among teenagers, because available studies show that those who suffer from back pain are at a greater risk of suffering from it as adults, and that their average income will be lower than that of those who do not suffer from it, probably due to the restriction on daily activity and productive capacity of those who suffer from back pain.
Among workers, because back complaints are the main cause of absenteeism from work in industrialized countries, and certain postures and efforts within the workplace increase the risk of suffering painful episodes and of greater length.
Among the elderly, because maintaining good mobility is essential for their general health, and the most frequent cause of restriction is common back pain. It is estimated that approximately 90% of those over the age of 65 suffer from some kind of common back pain. This is the reason why in this group, efforts should be directed less towards prevention and rather towards learning the methods which enable them to lead a life that is as autonomous and as normal as possible despite the existence of back pain.
Objectives.
1) To disseminate among the target population the rules of postural hygiene that have been shown to be effective in preventing common back pain and keeping the autonomy of those who suffer from it.
2) To make the target population aware that when a painful episode of a common back pain takes place, total rest is counterproductive.
3) To make the target population aware that steps must be taken when suffering from any kind of common back pain, eliminating the tendency towards resignation which leads to the chronicity of the pain and encouraging consultation with the physician in order to plan the most suitable treatment and rehabilitation for each specific case.
Different aspects are emphasized depending on the focus group of the campaigns, whether teenagers, workers or the elderly.
Scope of the campaigns .
Given the Majorcan origin of the Kovacs Foundation, these are initially carried out in the Balearic Islands. This experience enables the verfication of their feasibility and the evaluation of the efficiency of the funds allocated for its development. These can be carried out in all areas where Kovacs Back Units are located, )), as their physicians have the training required to act as promoters and coordinators of such campaigns.
The target public that is deemed a priority are the teenagers, workers and the elderly.
Methods.
1) Organization of talks on postural hygiene in venues suitable to the target public: schools and colleges, companies or centers for the elderly.
2) Organization of practical workshops on postural hygiene in these places, where daily activities pertaining to the specific group to whom the campaign is addressed are carried out, and the campaign subjects are trained in a correct development from a postural hygiene point of view.
3) Dissemination of books and diagrams that are clear, practical and understandable to the non-medical public, within the location of each group, such as schools, businesses or centers for the elderly.
4) Training of postural hygiene monitors in these areas, who supervise the correctness of performance of daily activity and are able to answer any doubts which might arise. The monitors vary depending on the group addressed by the campaign, given that it is intended that they are recrutied from the groups themselves. These could be schoolteachers, experienced business employees or charismatic elderly persons in centers for the elderly.
5) Publication of advertisements in the media, with coupons for remmitance of brochures with text and graphs on postural hygiene free of charge.
Participants, in addition to the Scientific Department of the Foundation.
Councils of Health and Consumption and Education, Culture and Sports within the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Association of Physicians of the Balearic Islands, the Provincial Headquarters of the INSALUD in the Balearic Islands, the Federation of Parent and Teachers' Associations, the Federation of Associations of the Elderly, and the main trade unions - General Union of Workers (UGT) and Workers' Commissions (CCOO).
Co-financed by the Kovacs Foundation and the Matthias Kühn Foundation of the Balearic Islands.
Status.
The first campaign, which addresses the teenagers of Majorca, began in October 1999.