enhance BME in farmers which would help solve
issues regarding time barriers for farmers when dealing
with manual labour.
Besides the time barrier, knowledge of LBP
prevention and perceived severity are factors associated
with LBP prevention behavior among farmers.3 A
systematic review has indicated that the development of
a LBP prevention program should involve consideration
of relevant variables based on health behavior theories7
including Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). This
is a theory of persuasive communication and consists of
cognitive mediating processes; and was used to improve
LBP prevention behavior in other workers. Cognitive
mediating processes consist of the threat-appraisal
process and the coping-appraisal process. The threat
appraisal process includes four factors - intrinsic
rewards, extrinsic rewards, perceived severity, and
perceived vulnerability. The coping appraisal process
includes three factors, self-efficacy, response efficacy
and response costs. Assessments of threats and coping
factors combine to form the behavioral intention in
which, perceptions of severity and vulnerability should
outweigh the rewards associated with maladaptive
responses.30 In addition, perception of response efficacy
and self-efficacy should outweigh the response cost
of the adaptive behavior. Therefore, protection motivation,
which is typically equated with behavioral intention,
is seen to direct and sustain protective behavior.31 The
variables of cognitive mediating process of PMT,
which include perceived severity, perceived vulnerability;
perceived self-efficacy and perceived cost, were used
for developing WBMP among Thai farmers in this study.
As reviewed, studies regarding behavior modification
program based on application of PMT for LBP prevention
showed that LBP prevention behaviors of participants
improved at week 12 after completion of the program.8
In addition, studies investigating the effects of LBP
prevention program based on other behavioral theories
among informal workers revealed that participants’
LBP prevention behaviors improved at week 6,32 and
during weeks 9-12.8-10, 32 It is, therefore, interestingback muscle capacity among workers. Regarding factors associated with LBP prevention
behaviors among Thai farmers, it was found that time barrier was an important variable for SBE.3 However,
SBE with a stretching technique and holding the back in a straight position for seconds during exercise
significantly promotes BME and protects the back from injury during exercise.Also, recent systematic
reviews concluded that an average SBE of 10 minutes
per day has contributed to a significant improvement in primary outcome measures. Furthermore, SBE of
6 minutes once daily, three and four times a week for 6 weeks, could improve BME by week 3.16, 29 Moreover,
LBP prevention program in workers could strengthen back muscles at week 12.8 However, there is no study
investigating the effect of LBP prevention program on BME among informal workers. Thus, it is interesting
to examine whether short-time SBE interventions can