Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

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Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 269 - 275

Prevalence and Incidence of Low Back Pain in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Authors
Mai A. Aldera1, 2, *, Caroline M. Alexander3, Alison H. McGregor1
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, MSK Lab, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK
2Department of Rehabilitation, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
3Department of Therapies, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK
*Corresponding author. Email: maldera@ksu.edu.sa
Corresponding Author
Mai A. Aldera
Received 7 November 2019, Accepted 8 April 2020, Available Online 24 April 2020.
DOI
10.2991/jegh.k.200417.001How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Low back pain; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; prevalence and incidence
Abstract

Study Design: A systematic review.

Objective: To identify published studies that assess the prevalence and incidence of Low Back Pain (LBP) in the Saudi Arabian population.

Methods: Six electronic databases were searched for articles published between January 1995 and December 2018. Crosssectional or cohort studies were included if they were conducted in the KSA and focused on the prevalence or incidence of LBP in adults. Case–control and retrospective studies were excluded. Studies were also excluded if they did not meet the quality criteria set out by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) assessment or had a high or medium risk of bias according to the criteria proposed by Hoy et al. One independent reviewer (MAA) verified that the studies met the inclusion criteria, and three independent reviewers (MAA, AHM, CMA) assessed the quality of the studies and extracted their relevant characteristics. All the studies were assessed for quality using the JBI assessment and were assessed for risk of bias according to the Hoy et al. approach.

Results: The initial search identified 158 papers; five studies met the inclusion criteria. The nature of the findings meant no meta-analysis could be performed; therefore, a narrative summary was generated to discuss the findings. The prevalence of LBP in different professional groups within a working-age group ranged between 64% and 89%.

Discussion: The prevalence of LBP in the KSA has only been examined within specific professional groups, which limits the ability to generalize the finding. The review clarifies the need for further quality epidemiological studies to identify the prevalence of LBP in the general population. Many of the issues identified are problems related to occupational risk of LBP. The implication therefore is that these occupational factors need to be assessed so that risk factors for LBP among employees in KSA can be modified.

KEY POINTS
  1. 1.

    The prevalence of LBP in the KSA has only been examined within specific professional groups.

  2. 2.

    The included studies link the prevalence of LBP to numbers of occupational-risk factors such as; participants’ specialities, years of experience and working load.

  3. 3.

    The prevalence of LBP is more common in female employee.

  4. 4.

    This review outlines the need for further epidemiology studies of the general population in the KSA.

Copyright
© 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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<Previous Article In Issue
Next Article In Issue>
Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue
10 - 4
Pages
269 - 275
Publication Date
2020/04/24
ISSN (Online)
2210-6014
ISSN (Print)
2210-6006
DOI
10.2991/jegh.k.200417.001How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Mai A. Aldera
AU  - Caroline M. Alexander
AU  - Alison H. McGregor
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/04/24
TI  - Prevalence and Incidence of Low Back Pain in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 269
EP  - 275
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/jegh.k.200417.001
DO  - 10.2991/jegh.k.200417.001
ID  - Aldera2020
ER  -