Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Nov 1:8:105.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-8-105.

The prevalence of low back pain in Africa: a systematic review

Quinette A Louw  1 , Linzette D Morris, Karen Grimmer-Somers
Affiliations

The prevalence of low back pain in Africa: a systematic review

Quinette A Louw et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition and one the most common causes of disability in the developed nations. Anecdotally, there is a general assumption that LBP prevalence in Africa is comparatively lower than in developed countries. The aim of this review was to systematically appraise the published prevalence studies conducted on the African continent to establish the prevalence of LBP in Africa.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in April 2006. The following databases PEDro, Psychinfo, Science Direct, SportsDiscus, PubMed, CINAHL, Biblioline Pro-African Wide NiPAD and SA ePublications were individually searched using specifically developed search strategies for epidemiological research conducted on LBP amongst the African population. Two reviewers independently evaluated the methodological quality of the studies reviewed.

Results: A total of 27 eligible epidemiological studies were included in this review. The majority of the studies (63%) were conducted in South Africa (37%) and Nigeria (26%). The most common population group involved workers (48%), while scholars comprised 15% of the population. 67% of the studies were found to be methodologically sound, and the LBP prevalence of these were analyzed. The mean LBP point prevalence among the adolescents was 12% and among adults was 32%. The average one year prevalence of LBP among adolescents was 33% and among adults was 50%. The average lifetime prevalence of LBP among the adolescents was 36% and among adults was 62%.

Conclusion: The findings support the global burden of disease of LBP, in addition to suggesting that LBP prevalence among Africans is rising and is of concern. Further research into the most effective strategies to prevent and manage LBP in Africa is warranted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Database search results.
Figure 2
Figure 2
LBP point prevalence. LBP point prevalence ranged from 10% to 14% among adolescents, and 16% to 59%. The trend-line suggests that LBP point prevalence potentially increases with age.
Figure 3
Figure 3
One-year LBP prevalence. The one year prevalence ranged from 14% to 72%. The trend-line suggests that one-year LBP prevalence potentially increases with age.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Lifetime LBP prevalence. The lifetime LBP prevalence ranged from 28% to 74%. The trend-line suggests that lifetime LBP prevalence potentially increases with age.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Odds ratios. Three of the seven studies cross one, indicating that the female gender is a significant risk factor for LBP.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lopez A, Mathers C, Ezzati M, Jamison D, Murray J. Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: Systematic analysis of population health data. Lancet. 2006;367:1747–57. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68770-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Africa – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa (last accessed 16 February 2007)
    1. Bloom D, Canning D. The Health and Wealth of Nations. World Health Organization. 1999.
    1. Murray J, Lopez A. Regional patterns of disability-free expectancy and disability-adjusted life expectancy: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 1997;349:1347–52. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)07494-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Murray J, Lopez A. Global mortality, disability, and the contribution of risk factors: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 1997;349:1436–42. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)07495-8. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types