Aim: To identify the lifestyle factors preventing and predisposing to the development of pressure injuries (PIs) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community in Bangladesh.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenient sampling method. An equal number of participants, both with PIs and without, were recruited from the community, and a face-to-face interview was conducted. The standard outcome measure used to identify lifestyle factors in SCI was the Spinal Cord Injury Lifestyle Scale. The odds ratio (OR) was used to measure the associated difference between both groups and with sociodemographic variables. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The study cohort comprised 80 participants-40 with PIs and 40 without. The study findings showed that lifestyle factors that were strongly associated with the occurrence of PIs (p<0.01, OR: <1) were: smoking; regular exercise; weight-bearing activity; body position on wheelchair; joint contracture; skin examination; pressure relief technique; wearing a protective device; accessibility; bladder and bowel management (p=0.03, OR: 0.32). Whereas, bladder incontinence appeared as a strong risk factor (p=0.04, OR: 2.5) for developing PIs in people with SCI.
Conclusion: The outcome of this study suggests that people with SCI should be aware of, and review, their lifestyle factors to reduce their chance of developing PIs.
Keywords: community; lifestyle; pressure injury; pressure ulcer; spinal cord injury; susceptibility; wound; wound care; wound healing.