Introduction

Despite numerous studies on the prevalence of pain among nurses, few have examined the relationship between health behaviours and pain. The present study was therefore designed to address this gap in the literature.

Material and methods

The study included employed female nurses from the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland. Pain was assessed using the Laitinen Pain Scale (LPS), and health behaviours were evaluated with Juczyński’s Health Behavior Inventory (HBI).

Results

Among the 429 nurses included in the study, mean age was 44.8 ± 12.5 years, and the mean length of professional experience was 19.9 ± 12.9 years. The mean HBI score was 82.4 ± 14.5 (35.8% low, 38.0% average, 26.3% high). On the LPS, 18.6% reported no pain (Factor 1 = 0), 18.6% never used analgesics (Factor 3 = 0), and 41.0% reported partial limitations in daily functioning due to pain (Factor 4 = 1). Stratification by health behaviour level showed that nurses with low HBI scores had significantly higher LPS scores across all factors compared with those with high scores (p<0.01 for Factor 1 and 3; p < 0.001 for Factor 2 and 4).

Conclusions

In this study, low levels of health behaviours were associated with higher pain frequency and intensity, as well as more frequent analgesic use and greater functional limitations. As a modifiable factor, health behaviors should be a key target for preventive strategies in the nursing workplace.