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
Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Sep 23:2021:6633271.
doi: 10.1155/2021/6633271. eCollection 2021.

Prevalence of Self-Reported Work-Related Lower Back Pain and Its Associated Factors in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mihretu Jegnie  1 , Mekbeb Afework  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of Self-Reported Work-Related Lower Back Pain and Its Associated Factors in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mihretu Jegnie et al. J Environ Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain is the commonest musculoskeletal disorder affecting every socioeconomic group of the world's population. The lifetime risk of developing low back pain is about 60%-80%. The pooled prevalence and associated factors of low back pain have not yet been determined in Ethiopia. Thus, this study was aimed at assessing the overall prevalence of low back pain and its associated factors in Ethiopia.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for observational studies reporting data on the prevalence and associated factors of low back pain was conducted. Relevant data were extracted with a standardized data extraction excel form. Stata 14 was employed for the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran's Q test and I 2 values of a forest plot. Publication bias was checked using a funnel plot and Egger's test. A random-effects model was used in the analysis.

Result: A total of thirty-two studies were included for the systematic review. Twenty-four and sixteen studies were used to pool the overall low back pain prevalence and associated factors, respectively. The overall pooled annual prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia was estimated to be 54.05% (95% CI: 48.14-59.96). Age, sex, body mass index, work experience, working hours, lack of safety training, awkward working posture, work shift, prolonged standing, lifting heavy objects, sleeping disturbance, history of back trauma, previous medical history of musculoskeletal disorder, and lack of adequate rest interval at work were significantly associated with low back pain.

Conclusion: The current systematic review and meta-analysis revealed a higher prevalence of lower back pain in Ethiopia. Most of the low back pain epidemiological studies conducted in Ethiopia focused on specific occupational settings, making pooling of data and comparison with other countries challenging. Thus, further general population studies are recommended.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart describing the selection of studies for the systematic review and meta-analysis of low back pain prevalence and associated factors in Ethiopia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the pooled annual prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of subgroup analysis by region and prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of subgroup analysis by occupation and prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of subgroup analysis by sample size and prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot of subgroup analysis by publication year and prevalence of low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Funnel plot to test publication bias of the included studies.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Forest plot of included studies investigating the association between age and low back pain in Ethiopia.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot of included studies investigating the association between gender and low back pain in Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Balagué F., Mannion A. F., Pellisé F., Cedraschi C. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet . 2012;379(9814):482–491. - PubMed
    1. Allegri M., Montella S., Salici F., et al. Mechanisms of low back pain: a guide for diagnosis and therapy. F1000Research . 2016;5 doi: 10.12688/f1000research.8105.1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuorinka I., Jonsson B., Kilbom A., et al. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Applied Ergonomics . 1987;18(3):233–237. doi: 10.1016/0003-6870(87)90010-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Smart K. M., Blake C., Staines A., Thacker M., Doody C. Mechanisms-based classifications of musculoskeletal pain: Part 1 of 3: symptoms and signs of central sensitisation in patients with low back (±leg) pain. Manual Therapy . 2012;17(4):336–344. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2012.03.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Garland E. L. Pain processing in the human nervous system: a selective review of nociceptive and biobehavioral pathways. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice . 2012;39(3):561–571. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2012.06.013. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types